Clockwork Princess
by Kokokirakenaquila
Summary: The clock is ticking. Everybody must choose
1. August, 9, 1878

In the blistering cold night, a lonely carriage rattled onto the cobblestone streets of London, It was lit up unevenly by lampposts the light blinking as shadows advanced forward.

The carriage was black, camouflaged by the dark midnight with no moonlight in the sky. The one driving the carriage was dressed in all black as well, tight tailcoat, a top hat with no trimmed ribbon to resemble elegance and black gloves to warm his fingers in the cold night. His face was covered by a scarf with only his eyes showing. He was holding the reins that held the black stallions, their hooves rattled in harmony, making the only sound on the streets beside the howling wind.

Inside, there waited his master, tired and impatient. He tapped his white gloved fingers on his knees as he gazed at nothing. His cane: a wooden stick attached to a beautifully carved owl ready to fly, began to draw circles on the floor in boredom. He moved about as the carriage went over unpleasant potholes and bumps, making his ride rather uncomfortable. He hated carriages.

He closed his window curtain, shutting out the blinding light of the lamp posts. Beside him was a bottle of fine wine given by a friend, the sweet, sparkling liquid swished about in the glass bottle, he licked his lips, wanting to get the bitter taste in his mouth out. He checked his pocket watch; the place that he was going to should be getting closer.

Suddenly without warning, he jerked forward, clutching his heart. It throbbed painfully in his chest as if a bullet passed through it. Every time his heart beat the pain dispersed more around his chest, making him keel over. He let out a gasp, panting for air. The wine bottle rolled around in the seat until finally it crashed onto the floor, spilling the red liquid on his fine silk coat.

The carriage stopped abruptly, the man cursed as he slowly straightened himself up. His pain eased and slowly drifted away.

"Go on" He ordered, the carriage moved hesitantly for a bit before carrying on. He sighed as he leaned back onto his seat, still clutching his heart.

Then he smiled wickedly. _At least I know my invention is working properly _he thought as the carriage rode off into the night.


	2. Compliments of the heart

**Hey! Kokokirakenaquila here! I am ****so ****excited for Clockwork Princess to come out and I had to write what I think it might be like. I'll try to update ASAP k? ^_^**

**Please review! It inspires me hehe *wink***

**(note: there will be pairings in here: You know WillxTessa or JemxTessa or Sophiex Gideon or others so be PREPARED)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

_Carelessly, he glided his hand through her hair. Silky and soft to the touch. Her eyes were stung, hurt by his ignorance and her defeat. But now they were in the same side in the same game, there was nothing to lose but only to gain. The moment was priceless, then he leaned over, and with a tick of the clock he finished the remaining gap between them, she-_

She closed the book forcefully and tossed it on the table beside her. _Why on earth did Miss. Katherine let Mr. M seduce her? _She thought it was a terribly written book written by one of her beloved authors, it was disappointing to read but she had to continue on, she promised Jessamine that she would finish the novel; it was one of Jessie's favorites.

'_Love bewilderment' _she recited, she wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out. Only Jessie would like a book like this, something totally unreadable. There was much more pages to be finished before Tessa could read something of her tastes, but in her eyes the pages to be read seemed like an eternity. She glanced as the dog folded novel that sat unpleasantly on the wooden coffee table, urging her to stop complaining and read the dammed book, she groaned in displeasure as she surrendered and leaned over to catch the pages with her fingers.

What was surprising about the book that Jessie gave her was…well…Jessie never liked to read in the first place. She always thought of them as 'useless' or 'a lady shouldn't read books' and Tessa would always disagree with her, choosing to start another story rather than to go dress shopping. Jessamine started to read when Nate died, and the books she would read were always about romance.

She frowned, Tessa felt bad for Jessamine. Nate only pretended to love her to get information about the institute. The embracing, the lovey dovey talking, that 'connection' was all a lie and that had to hurt, when she danced with her brother Nate, pretending to be Jessamine, everything he said to her had to be lies, she knew her brother, Jessamine was merely a fair-weather stranger to Nate rather than a husband.

Then she blushed, a whole new thought came into her head. A distant memory that could never be erased, even though she tried to, it was Will. Kissing her on the balcony, she knew that it was only drugs that made them do that but she felt as if the drugs were only half the reason he was kissing her. Tessa didn't think the drugs were reason for her behavior as well.

Jessamine loved Nate, but did Tessa Love Will? The answer for the question seemed to hiding somewhere. She knew that Will was hurting himself just because she couldn't give the answer.

The thought left her in a still trance for while. Then Tessa snapped back into focus and flipped through the pages of the book where she left off. She excused herself from thinking…about…uh Will and began to read.

_She abruptly drew away from the kiss and covered her mouth in shock. Miss. Katherine didn't know what to do so she ran out from the room at once, leaving Mr. M broken hearted and unsatisfied-_

A loud click erupted Tessa reading. A figure stood by the door as its once bright blue eyes greeted her with an unsure welcome.

Tessa smiled hesitantly at Will before resuming her book.

_She abruptly drew away from the kiss and covered her mouth in shock. Tessa didn't know what to do so she ran out of the room at once, leaving Will Herondale broken hearted and unsatisfied._

"Good Lord!" She yelped as she knocked the book aside, how in the world did her mind do that? Did she purposely connect two pieces of different thoughts? Surely this book has been mocking her. Tessa was so startled

"Tessa, are you alright?"

Tessa turned around to see Will, which was much closer to her now. His eyes peered at her in confused concern before drifting off to see the fallen book on the floor. She blushed, thinking of the weird thought that startled her so much.

"I-"Her voice was pitched, she cleared it roughly before starting again "I-I am quite fine, thank you very much for your concern." She assured

Will peered at the book again. "Did something unexpected happen in your book?" Then his eyes went wide "_Love bewilderment?" _

She blushed again, feeling the tops of her cheeks grow hot. He picked up the book and gave it a good stare before returning it to her. Looking at her strange

Tessa looked away "I can read whatever I want" She said

"I can see why you seemed so startled when you read, this, '_Love bewilderment.'" _He mumbled, trying not laugh,

She ignored his dirty little insight. "What do you want Will?"

"Nothing" He said casually "Just wanted to read something before go to bed, don't mind me." He turned around and went to the array of bookshelves that held numerous choices of books.

She didn't want to read this book right now, fearing that it will give her something else to jump about. Tessa left it on the ground, giving it a doubtful promise to pick it up and start reading it again. She went over to the bookshelf to pick something else to read, she ignored Will (who was beside her) and began to scan around.

Most of the books were shadow hunter books written by shadow hunters and the books that filled in the spaces were some pretty recognizable authors that Tessa would consider. She skipped all of the Shadow hunter nonsense and went to pick out one of her favorites.

_Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield_ . It was so hard for Tessa to choose.

"Ha" Will said, He triumphantly picked up a small green book from the shelf "One of my favorites, _Great Expectations"_

Tessa couldn't help but smile, she loved that book too. "I like that book too" She confessed "I don't know why, but Pip reminds me of you Mr. M"

Will looked at her in surprise "Did you just call me _Mr. M?"_

Tessa blushed again and looked away. In her mind, she cried _what is happening to me?_ She closed her eyes and breathed before answering Will.

"I, um, I actually wanted to read _Great Expectations..." _She said in replace of an answer

"Oh" Will seemed startled at the sudden jump of the conversation, which made Tessa a bit relieved. He looked at the book in his hands. Tessa waited patiently "Would you like to read it with me?" he offered

Tessa automatically nodded. He gestured to the couch before them. Tessa reluctantly took a seat as Will sat beside her. She seemed so uneasy sitting beside him but her mind and her heart relaxed as Will began to read.

…

_His voice is so pronounced and crisp _she thought. His voice was practically lifting the words off of the page with such raw emotion, even his British accent seemed to add into the affect. Tessa was practically listening to Will rather than to hear the story. She felt his warm radiance against her skin and the stir of his breath on her neck, she hadn't been this close since she was engaged to Jem, her chest ached for it but Tessa resisted it.

The moonlight glimmered on his ebony black hair; beautifully tousled that Tessa had felt through her fingers in her past. His eyes were practically illuminating the whole room, shaded by his thick, long eyelashes that seemed to enhance his appearance even more. Then, as he continued to read, Tessa began to fall, her eyelids giving in…

Will stopped reading when something landed on shoulder. He found Tessa sound asleep on the crook of his neck. Her eyes lids were closed and her hair fell on her bare shoulders. _She looks so innocent _he thought. He felt her breath tickle on his neck as it gave him shivers. He smiled as he closed the book and set it on the table.

He picked up sleeping Tessa and went out of the library, switching the light off and closing the wooden door. He walked through the dark hallways with Tessa curled up in his arms. He sighed as he arrived at Tessa's bedroom; he opened the door and settled Tessa into bed, tucking her in. Will sat there for a while, beside her, watching her sleep peacefully. He carefully moved a strand of her brown, curly hair away from her face, stroking her cheek with his fingertips in the process.

_But she is not yours _

His heart ached for Tessa, the girl that stole his sanity away from him, the book lover that hit him with a vase and made him laugh. Then he realized that they would be brother and sister in law when Jem and Tessa would get married, that thought left him feeling nauseated.

Before he could leave, he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"_Oh lovely Miss. Katherine, who unintentionally broke my heart." _He quoted, and with that, he slipped out of her room.

He closed the door and walked to the door right beside it. It used to be empty, but now it was being used by a new guest.

Will opened the door to find Cecily fast asleep on her bed. He remembered the exciting morning when she was at the institute's doorstep, something that Will would never forget.

"_Cecily!" Will exclaimed at the sight of his sister. His heart leaped, and then he paused "What are you doing here?" He asked_

_She straightened up and put on a serious face, Will stared into the blank eyes of her sister._

"_I want you to train me to become a shadowhunter."_


	3. Relative Villain

Charlotte was felt stuck between two things

One was the awkward silence filling the dining room and the second that she couldn't think of a single thing to start a conversation with Cecily, Will's younger sister. Tension was building in the room with only the tick of the clock and twinkling of silverware to minimize it. Charlotte needed to say _something._

'_Will and Jessamine aren't fighting this morning' _she observed, eternally grateful for that. Will was forking around with plate, pushing scraps of his food around. He looked down almost, with his darkened blue eyes that stared vividly on his spoon, as if he wanted it to move around. Jessamine was doing alright; her head was high as she spooned some soup into her mouth with her white gloved hand. Jem and Tessa were fine too, eating away, sneaking glances at each other and Will. Henry was intently staring at his eggs, murmuring to himself about chemicals, but yes he was fine too and Cecily wasn't eating as much.

Charlotte cleared her throat as soon as she found of something to say. The whole table stopped eating and looked at her.

"After breakfast and practice, I expect at least one of you to show Cecily around." She said Cecily's face didn't change; her blank eyes were set on the table.

"Tessa, do you mind lending Will's sister some of your practice clothes?" She asked

Tessa smiled at Cecily "Of course"

"It's about time somebody here took my place for fighting and everything." Jessamine mumbled, Charlotte put down her fork and looked at Jessamine in a scolding way

"Absolutely not, you will train with the others."

Jessamine groaned as she forked another sausage into her mouth.

"I'll show Cecily around." Jem volunteered, Cecily gave a tweaked smile at him before finishing off with her food. The room went silent again and Charlotte felt responsible for it.

As everyone continued to finish off what they had in their plates before Sophie came around to collect them all, Tessa was trying to remember what happened last night between her and Will. She remembered reading with him, well after reading one of the worst books she had ever read, and falling asleep on his shoulder. In the middle, she didn't know what happened; she fell into a deep sleep to realize anything. Tessa knew that she woke up when Will planted a kiss on her, he left too early to realize the pink blush warming up in her cheeks. He also said something, but Tessa couldn't remember, it just felt like something important that she couldn't possibly let go of.

But really, it didn't matter what Will and Tessa did. She was going to be married, to Jem. Tessa was happy, but there was Will of course, and all of things that she misunderstood about him…

While Tessa was thinking, Jem started to plan his day with Cecily. He volunteered because Will showed Tessa around when she came and it felt like an obligation to him to tour around with his _Parabatai. _It was certainly a surprise to see her at their doorstop that it was questionable. Why did she want to start training to be a shadowhunter right now? More importantly, how did she know that Will was here at this particular institute? These were the questions that he was going to ask.

Jem's eyes suddenly averted to Tessa, who was staring at the table. He smiled, she was so beautiful and lovely, he couldn't believe that she would be his until the marriage, and he couldn't wait for the marriage. With his sickness and all, he really was starting to feel better, along with Tessa by his side he would live for an eternity, be forever happy in eternity. Tessa found him gazing at her and faintly blushed and smiled, he smiled even further.

"I will be your partner in class Cecily" Will say "Since everyone here attending already has one…literally."

Tessa blushed even further, but Jem started to question the reason behind his fake smile, in fact all of his fake smiles. He seemed so down and tired, not the usual, rude, light-up-your-day Will. Jem was worried about him and he wanted to get down to the root of his troubles. Jem had a hunch about his behavior, something that he wasn't telling to himself, he felt so blind.

As Sophie came around the corner, Cecily excused herself from the table, smiled a bit before leaving the dining room. Will hurried up to follow her, chewing on the last piece of his bread before rushing off to join her, now it was only Tessa, Jem, Charlotte, Henry and Sophie.

"Thank you Sophie" Charlotte smiled as she collected her plate, she rose from her seat as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, and others were following her as well. "And to all of you, have a wonderful day at practice." She said before she headed off into her study, so glad and free from the strangling silence that entered the dining room. Henry went off to his laboratory, leaving Jem and Tessa alone.

"I'll escort you to your room." Jem offered, Tessa smiled warmly as she accepted his offer and his arm as they strode off to the staircase. With Jem by her side made her feel a bit guilty, thinking about Will and all, but she didn't say a word until they past corridors and guest rooms to her bedroom.

Jem felt hesitant to let Tessa go as she stopped by her door. He leaned in close, noses and lips almost touching but both of them remained still. She could feel the strong aura of Jem shivering down her spine and he felt he was going to collapse in her arms.

"I'll see you later" He said as he drew away from her before she could shut the door and begin to change her clothes for training. Then her nice moody feeling vanished when she remembered _my training partner is that blasted Gabriel Lightwood, _she frowned.

.o0o.

Sophie waited patiently with Jessamine for the others to come. Gabriel and Gideon were already here, always on time, none of them saying a single word. She felt trapped in a death silence, wanting to say something without any of them looking at her odd. _Oh _she sighed, _how does Miss Branwell do it?_

Gabriel and Jessamine were in a fowling mood, he was scowling at the floor in certain reasons and she was cross legged, arms folded in head held way up high. They all think that they're better than anyone else. Then Sophie thought, if they were married. They would be a scowling family, with scowling little children, always bickering with one another. Gabriel and Jessamine were really alike if you looked at it in a way.

Today, she was going to throw knives, and was she excited? She wasn't sure, a parlor maid whacking folk with seraph blades, uh huh, that looked appealing. Sophie sighed again, she didn't mind being a lady who fought with weapons, all she cared about was the fact that Gideon was here. Always sending shrivels down her spine whenever she looked merely at his eyes. Jem did it as well, but it was different with him and that confused her. He was a gentleman, but she wondered if he was the same kind of man that would bring another scar to her face, she was a bit cautious to him. Sophie trembled

After rambling off in her mind, her eyes caught onto an extended hand reaching out to her. She saw Gideon standing right before her, she snapped out of focus. She saw Tessa, Jem, Will, Cecily and everyone else training with their assigned partners. Sophie hadn't noticed them walking in. She flushed silently.

Gideon smiled softly as he gently took her hand in his as he led her to the center on the training area. Sophie flushed as she tried to make her hand move away from his. They were going to practice knife throwing, even though they did it in the past, it didn't hurt to revisit the chapter.

Meanwhile, Will was teaching Cecily how to throw a knife properly, aiming for the center spot of the target. He flung the knife, and sure enough the blade stuck onto the target board. He went over and plucked the seraph blade off and went back to teach her sister again.

"See? All you have to do is grip you thumb and your fingers in the right position, like this."

Cecily adjusted her fingers in the right position like Will instructed. She let her fingers get comfortable with it before letting Will teach her the next step.

"Good, now swing the knife in a way that you would fling darts" He said, waving his arm in demonstration. Cecily followed his movements before letting go of the knife. She closed her eyes and let in all of the frustration in anger that might be lingering somewhere inside of her and let it out in a yell, swinging the knife. It spun gracefully to the target where it stuck it the middle, proud to let all see.

Cecily smiled.

"Wonderful" He praised, gazing at the fine seraph blade that stuck on the red center. "Now, if you were to aim that at Gabriel…"

Gabriel sneered at him and Will stuck his tongue out in response. Will couldn't help but notice Tessa acting rather robotically with Gabriel, with a frown upon her face whenever he tried to touch her, and if he did by any chance she looked like she was about to bite his head off. Jem was practicing with Jessamine, who were doing casually well, no bickering what so ever. Also, Gideon was faintly blushing when she touched Sophie so that she would get a proper knife throwing position, Sophie looked like she was going to faint and collapse.

_Twang_

Will spun around to see another knife in the same red center of the target, and another smiling Cecily. He was oddly dumbfounded.

"It seems that you learn quite quickly." He stated, rubbing his throat "Nothing less from my little sister."

She smiled again. "Thank you" She said. Curtsying with her pretty green dress, _you haven't changed a bit, _Will thought. His sister always had pleasurable manners.

"Stop touching me!"

Will whirled around to find Tessa squirming as Gabriel tried to show her how to hold the knife. "Tessa, please cooperate" He said dryly, holding his grip on her harder as she squirmed more.

"You have no right to call me that, you shall name me Miss. Gray." She snapped

"I'll teach her." Will stepped in, Tessa and Gabriel stopped fighting and looked at him. Her heart was pounding in her chest, the feeling of him touching her felt like a sin. Something that made Tessa sure that she wasn't going to sleep at night, but…if it meant that Gabriel wasn't going to be teaching her anymore…

"Is that ok with you Cecily?" She nodded in response, clutching the knife with much more force.

"It's about time you did something nice for me." Gabriel hissed as he left Tessa's side and went face to face with Will.

"She's already mastered it, so all you need to do is watch her." Will instructed, Gabriel rolled his eyes rudely as he made his way to Cecily, but Will caught his shoulder. "But if you touch her, I swear that the target I'll be practicing on is you." He threatened before letting him go. Will smiled apologetically to his sister before joining Tessa.

Cecily felt a little uncomfortable practicing with Gabriel, after hearing a lot of bad things about him from Will after one day. But she was a lady, and she should introduce herself, no matter what the person is like.

"Hello, my name Cecily, Will's sister but I think you know that already" She said rather shyly

Gabriel seemed almost surprised. _At least one of the Herondales has manners, _he thought. "I'm Mr. Lightwood, son of Benedict Lightwood. But you may call me Gabriel" He said, he gestured to the target and the array of knives that sat on the small table beside her. "Please continue what you have started."

Cecily nodded as she took a knife and wrapped it around her long fingers. Her heart was pumping with eagerness as she threw the knife in an arch position, it went flying in the air as it landed pinpoint on the red target. She smiled at the _twang _as she picked up another knife, ready as If she was really going to stab someone. Gabriel watched in awe as Will's sister made a perfect circle around the center of the target, she was as good as Will. Gabriel flustered, _No Will was always a child whenever it came to fighting, I'm just saying that he for once will be beaten up by a girl, the perfect way to kill Will…_

As Gabriel daydreamed about ways to kill Will, Cecily began plucking the knives from the board before starting another round. Hours ticked by, but she felt as if it was only minutes.

"Break!" Gideon called, everyone dispersed to get a sip of water or rest a bit on the benches. Gabriel went off to join Gideon and Sophie, but Cecily wasn't tired, she decided to keep on going.

She picked off another blade from the table and began to grip it with the all-ready-used-to-it finger position, but before she could slice it through the air, she caught the reflection of Will and Tessa, still practicing. Her brother's arm was shaping an arc with Tessa's arm, they were very close as he swung their arms together in the knife throwing position. Their fingers were intertwined together, almost lovingly.

When Will let go so that Tessa could try it for herself Cecily caught something that she could've missed. Her brother's blue eyes were like dancing flames, warm and gentle, something that she hadn't seen in a long time. She looked at Tessa, who was pouting because the knife ricocheted off the target and onto the floor, then at Will again. Cecily smiled, even though that they have been separated for a long time she knew the look on Will's face from love to lust, and this time it was love.

Suddenly, her body arched forward and pain coursed through her body. She couldn't control her legs and her arms, then her eyes sealed, she was shut out and fell unconscious.

.o0o.

"Thank you" Tessa mumbled softly as she went over to the target board to pluck off the seraph knife off. She was getting tired and weak from Will's breath on her neck and him holding her, it did feel like sin, and that sin was naked temptation. A part of her wanted to run, another part was to feel his arms wrap around her and that feeling was stronger than the other. Before she could go turn around and go back to practice with Will some more, she caught a glimpse of a figure behind Will, it was holding a knife that was rose high in the air, moving toward them. A glimpse of familiar pair feminine blue eyes caught onto her horror.

It was Cecily

Instinctively _and _with incredible speed, she ran behind Will to catch the knife that was held by Cecily and managed to throw her off of her balance with a thrust of her wrist. She hissed as she lunged forward with the knife still glued in her fist in attempt to knife Tessa in the throat. Luckily, she ducked just in time and managed to knee her, not wanting to stab Will's sister.

"What-" Will started, looking at what Cecily was doing to Tessa "Cecily stop it!" He shouted as he tried to intercept between Tessa and his sister

Cecily smiled wickedly at Tessa as she picked up a seraph blade from the hangers from the wall, Tessa gasped as she dodged her pinpoint attacks, her eyes seemed to be mocking her, Tessa felt so defenseless against her, she only had a throwing knife in her hand. Cecily was aiming for her head, she swung the blade with such speed that it blurred the air, in a way, Tessa caught the blade with her own, it was just inches from her forehead. Cecily smiled at Tessa as she whirled the seraph blade around while her opponent's knife was stuck onto it. She screamed as she fell to the ground, before she could get up again Cecily hit her with the back grip of her blade, Tessa fell unconscious.

Will grabbed a seraph blade to protect himself from his sister. He was so confused, why would his sister backfire on him so suddenly. He wanted the answers but for now he had to calm her down. He glanced at Tessa, who was lifeless on the ground, overwhelming fury raged in his body, giving him more stamina and mind.

He dodged Cecily's attacks and tried to aim for her feet. He set up his blade high in the sky and began to weigh down to her head, as planned she caught onto the blade and swung it aside, toppling Will to the ground with the clatter of the sword.

Suddenly the door burst open, Will felt a surge of relief when he saw Jem, Sophie and Charlotte. Their mouths opened in confusion and horror.

"A little help here?" Will sarcastically grunted as Cecily tried to push him with their blades clinking together in an x.

Sophie screamed as she went over and hit Cecily with a pan. She dropped her weapon and collapsed on the ground, twitching and unconscious. Everyone looked at Sophie in amazement, even Will. Jem smiled at her as he went over to help out Tessa. Will looked at his sister, he was almost sure that she or it was another one of Mortmain's auto men, trying to steal Tessa away.

Soon, Henry came into the picture. He was holding a funny device in his right hand and wore a mask. "What In bloody hell is going on?" He demanded

"That thing is pretending to be my sister." He said, pointing at 'Cecily' on the floor

"Ooo, another machine I can tinker with." Henry said as he went over to her.

Will went over to Jem and Tessa. He was holding her and to Will's relief that she was awake. Her eyes averted to Will, then to Cecily who was with Henry.

"Tess, are you ok?" He asked, Tessa was already giving into those perfect blue eyes

"What happened?" she asked, rubbing her head, wincing in pain.

"I have no idea" Will responded with a little chuckle.

"Uh, Will, can you come over here for a minute?" Henry beckoned in an uneasy tone.

"What is it?"

"Well, I checked over Cecily, and I discovered some things. Every auto man that Axel Mortmain has made has his signature engraved on the back of the neck, well, the ones I examined. Will, there's no signature on this one, also, she's **warm. **Auto men are supposed to be made up of clockwork. This is your Cecily Will."


	4. Some Cleared sky

**Enjoy! **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

Will looked at the limp and lifeless body of her sister lying on the infirmary bed. Sleeping with her hands rested on her chest and her strands of her hair spread all over the pillow. A bandage was wrapped around her head, covering the big bump wound caused by the pot that Sophie hit her with, other than that, she looked fine but to Will there was something definitely wrong with her.

He wanted her to hurry up and wake up from her slumber so that he could ambush her with questions that were stuffed inside of head, driving him nuts; _why are you trying to kill me and Tessa? Where did you get those sword fighting skills? You were totally fine before, but then why did you just suddenly swing a knife at us? _He sighed, he didn't expect this at all, but he waited patiently for his sleeping sister. With nothing to keep him occupied, he stared onto the foggy morning of London. Carriages rattled about, small pleasant talk from passing by folk, and the bad smell of something rotting in the air. Once again, the sky was covered in gray clouds, no room for the sun to shine. It was quite often that the sun was absent.

Will looked over onto another occupied bed across from Cecily's; there laid Tess, sleeping as well. There was an identical bandage from Cecily's wrapped around her head. His eyes drifted to the book _Great Expectations _that he placed on the nightstand if she wanted to read. He smiled at the little memory that novel held before moving back to his sister.

He suggested to Sophie that they should be placed in different rooms in case Cecily woke up in desire to kill Tessa but as usual, she never listened to Will in the first place. So he stood guard, between the two girls that he both loved and owned a hidden seraph blade under his chair. Then again, he thought about the pot that Sophie was probably scrubbing the blood off now, that could work as well…

Then, as Will daydreamed about other things, Cecily slowly batted her eyelashes open. Her body was still sleeping so she couldn't move a thing except for her head. _What happened? _She thought groggily, trying to remember bits and pieces of what was left in her memory. In a few minutes, she finally remembered that she collapsed in practice, but after that she couldn't remember a thing.

She tilted her head to see Will, gazing at the open window that brought a chill up her spine, and then she saw Tessa, sleeping on the infirmary bed with a bandage wrapped around her forehead.

"What happened?" She asked sleepily

Will jolted up when he saw Cecily, _somewhat _awake. "Why are you trying to kill me and Tessa? Where did you get those sword fighting skills? You were totally fine before, but then why did you just suddenly swing a knife at us?" he blurted out automatically

Cecily shook, a little startled "What?"

Will's eyes flamed "You were trying to kill Tessa and Me with your sword, don't you remember?"

Her head felt numb, she couldn't think of anything at this moment. "_What?" _

He couldn't help but agree with her, Cecily was not the type of person to do such a thing but the evidence spoke for itself, he wanted some answers from her right now.

"What happened to Miss. Gray?" She asked, her eyes on the resting body of the bandaged up lady.

"You hit her with your sword." He replied harshly, a quiver present in his voice

She gasped "I would **never **do such a thing." She protested

"I know you would never do such a thing." Will sighed, running his hand through hair in distress. "But you did, and I want to know why."

Cecily was forced to remember the period after she blanked out, she searched through the corners and spaces in her mind, trying to work up her tired memory that she relied on. She closed her eyes and concentrated, praying for a bit of information but nothing came back to her. She sighed and looked at her brother in weak eyes. "Will, all I can remember is blanking out after you went to help Tessa with her knives, I don't remember trying to hit Miss. Gray." She said

"That doesn't make sense Cecily, I can clearly-"

"It doesn't make sense that a gentleman as you Will, is shouting at the wounded." A voice interrupted.

Will whirled around to see the scolding face of Charlotte, who was accompanied by Sophie. "I know that it must be confusing to you, we all are. But whatever the situation please by mindful of your manners." Sophie went forward and set a cup of tea on Cecily's nightstand.

"Is Miss. Gray awake?" Sophie asked without looking at Will

"Unfortunetly no" He responded

Charlotte came over and sat beside Cecily. Pity crossed her face "Are you alright Miss. Herondale? " She asked, Cecily slowly nodded in response, relieved that Charlotte will be doing all the asking except her brother.

"Please, have a sip of tea. It will make you feel better." She gestured the warm cup of rose tea that sat next to Cecily, she obeyed as she took the Chinese cup into her hands and smelled the settling aroma that it gave off, she reached up and picked up two sugar cubes and plopped it into the tea. Watching the white particles dissolve and disappear, she took a sip and her back and mind eased a bit. She watched Charlotte's face grow into an impatient but calm appearance, wanting to ask questions.

"I'm sorry Miss. Branwell but I don't remember a thing." She quickly said before Charlotte could ask her first question.

"That's rather unfortunate." She replied dryly "Were you angry or upset at that time…?"

Cecily shook her head "No, I was fine. But for some reason I blanked out and I collapsed."

"You didn't collapse." Will interrupted "I would've noticed."

"I did feel like a hit the ground…"

"Peculiar." Charlotte mused; she could sense that Cecily was getting a little frightened.

Cecily shook her head "Whatever trouble I have caused, I am terribly sorry for it." She apologized, Sophie smiled empathetically.

Charlotte sighed "Let's just put the whole incident behind us, I'm sure that it was a misunderstanding. Though, Will, I do need you to keep an eye open for her." She said, Cecily smiled foolishly at her brother.

Before Charlotte got up to leave for her study, she had this one question she was itching to ask her. She sighed as she turned to face Cecily again. "You don't, by any chance, know Axel Mortmain do you?"

The question seemed to make Will and Cecily jump.

"U-um, I know of him. I once delivered a message to him but that was it. Why?" She stuttered

Charlotte ignored her question "Did he do anything to you?"

"No, not that I can remember…" She was starting to get afraid of this conversation.

"Now do you-"

"Miss. Branwell!" Sophie exclaimed "You shan't be making the poor girl shrivel! Now, come along" She said, as she scooped up Cecily's empty tea cup and went out of the room. Charlotte sighed as she began to follow Sophie.

"I apologize Miss. Herondale, we will talk later." She said as she closed the door, leaving Will, Cecily and Tessa alone.

Cecily curled up on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, bearing with the uncomfortable silence. She buried her head in her knees, feeling so guilty to be causing such trouble and distress to the institute. She looked at Will, who seemed confused and tired. _He must be _thought Cecily, after she came Will nearly fainted when she told him where she came from, and _how she escaped the accident._

Years before she came to the institute. Will received a Telegram noting that his house was burned down by a fire, caused by chemicals. His mother and father survived the crash but it said that Cecily died there. Will was heartbroken, tearing up the letter and sent himself to a full night of drinking and hangovers.

When Cecily came, she told Will that she survived the fire. She escaped without being noticed by anyone, she was later discovered three days after the fire, asleep near a bar. _"When they saw the burnt ashes they immediately thought that they mine." _She told her brother.

Before she came to the institute, she had been living with her mother in the manor quite for from here. They rented a place from a man named Axel Mortmain. He was welcoming as first but as soon as she and her mother got to know him his started to act rather peculiar. Cooped in his room for days, disappearing at nights and strange times in the day and sometimes his behavior; One day she asked her mother why she picked a place like this.

She told her that Axel Mortmain was the boss of an illegal company that father worked for. They were making parts for something. Father said that this job was nonstop so he couldn't come home, but it made a lot of money for his family instead of gambling. Mortmain agreed to let his family stay in the manor since he was fond of Cecily's father.

Then , one day. Cecily found out that her mother was taken captive from Mortmain. He had grown fond of her and started to sexually abuse her. Cecily found them in the room together, her mother was covered in bite marks and bruises. Her mother screamed at her to run before Axel could capture her. She ran as fast as she could out of the manor, with tears and crumbling heart inside.

Her mother told her the whereabouts of her brother: Will, since she knew when she pled him to return home when he was twelve. In panic and in horror she slipped into a cargo train to find safety in the London institute. Cecily was determined to have them train her to be a shadowhunter to find her mother and kill Mortmain, she was both ecstatic and horrified to see her brother; the one who left her and her mother to fend for themselves. When she surprised everyone with her sudden appearance, Will ambushed her with questions, questions that drew the energy out of her.

Cecily combed her hair with her fingers; wanting to give Will more information to ease him out of is deteriorating state.

"Will-" She started out, his blue eyes peeking out of his tousled black hair.

"Yes?"

"Mother would always say that young men shouldn't sulk when in front of a lady." She noted, she stopped for a moment, getting a small glimpse of a smile on his face. "She would've slapped you on the back of your head if she was here right now."

Will gave a crooked smile, he turned his gaze onto the window.

"Look, I'm sorry. Even though I can't remember of doing such a thing" She said carefully "I must be causing you a lot of pain since I came here, I bet you were fine before."

He broke out a laugh but there was no hint of humor in it, it sounded sad. He buried his face in his hands. "Cecily, you have no idea." He replied

Then a topic entered her mind, something that she had been aching to ask him. She felt doubtful at first but she urged herself, knowing that next-times would lead to a series of never minds.

"May I ask you a question?"

He didn't turn around to face her. "You may, though I hope it doesn't regard any humor. I'm not in the mood."

"You always push everyone away." She started "They try to love you but you keep being so rude to them that they finally give up. Please, _please tell me _why."

He didn't say anything, she pressed further. "You left mum and dad so you could be here. Don't you love your family?" Her voice was getting thick.

Will sighed and finally told her the whole tale of his 'curse' and how it was all a lie. He didn't want to talk about it, nor did he want to tell her the whole story of this particular girl that he _still _loved that broke her heart. He didn't want to become a glass case of emotion ready to burst out into tears and he certainly didn't want to become used to telling the story over and over.

Cecily's mouth was covered with her hands, gasping. Her eyes were sparkling "_Oh Will"_

He waved his hand in dismissal "I don't need your pity."

Then she was oddly surprised, _Shouldn't he be happy? Sure he went through a lot be still…_She thought, biting her lower lip.

"Rest" He commanded, standing up from his seat. "Tessa's doing a fine job of doing it."

"Fine, you go rest yourself. You look like a thousand miles away." She said, slipping under the covers. With the turn of his heel he walked out of the door, leaving her to sleep and heal.

Will went downstairs and went straight to Charlotte's study, his eyes weary and his mind fried. He wanted to discuss the plans for next week.

He was going to the manor to kill the blasted Axel Mortmain and save his mother.


	5. Worries

**Sorry, if this chapter was all over the place, I promise to make things interesting in the next chapter!**

**-Kokokirakenaquila**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

Jem was worried about Tessa after the events of last week. She seemed oddly drowsy and out of focus, He decided to forget about his severity of his illness and made sure to take care of her. He wanted to show her around London a bit more but that would have to wait.

They were in Tessa's room, talking about their wedding plans. Traditional shadowhunter weddings consist of the bride wearing a golden dress, different vows and the exchange of rings. They already covered most of the important and required steps to being wed, they were discussing about the flavor the cake, who to invite and who would be the maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man etc. Tessa was writing them down as they went, but as they continued exchanging opinions she couldn't help but notice the sparkling glimmer that stayed in Jem's eyes.

"About the wedding dress Jem, the cost…" Tessa trailed off, hoping that he would catch on

"No limit, as long as you are happy on your wedding day."

She blushed as the smile widened on her face, scribbling it down with her quill. "Very well, _No Limit" _She added

"Chocolate or Vanilla?"

"Hmmm, I'm leaning toward French Vanilla"

"I'll have Bridget bake the cake for us." Tessa said, she twirled the white feather quill in her hands."Lots of lacing piping, added with golden swirls here and there, perhaps the traditional three tiered…"

"Actually, I was hoping that we could include a bit of something else in our cake to make ours different. "Jem hinted, he picked up a raspberry jam cookie from his plate and bit off a piece from it with his teeth.

"What do you propose?"

"A theme around your jade necklace, perhaps Bridget could use something edible to resemble the color of Jade, and then of course as the top is a Bride and Groom topper."

Tessa kept her eyes on her notes. "That sounds lovely, I'll jot that down." After adding in the cake selection on her paper, she eyed at the things that they haven't talked about yet, one spiked her interest from the others.

"We need Best man, Maid of honor, bridesmaid…you know" Tessa read

Jem rested his face on his right hand in thought. "We'll ask around" He replied

Tessa nodded, thinking of a certain set of people she wanted to include…

"But I already know one that you can permanently write down." He said quickly

Tessa got her pen ready.

"My best man is Will"

Without herself noticing, she drew a big black line across the paper. She shook herself awake and jotted down that name, her hand trembling as she wrote in her worst handwriting yet.

She didn't want to think about him while she was discussing her wedding with Jem, it only caused her a huge amount of grief. Every time she tried not to think about him every memory of him flashed into her mind like a projector in her head: _The scene at the attic where he pushed her away, , the scene at the balcony where he passionately kissed her, the scene when Will covered her with his body to protect the flying shards of metal in the air, the scene where he confessed why he was so deliberately mean to everyone, and where she really broke his heart. Will, Will, Will, Will._

"Tessa are you ok?" Jem asked, looking at her with his soft silver eyes

Tessa seized herself from her memory trance of Will and continued to discuss wedding plans with Jem. Hoping that the topic of Will would never be brought up to her again.

.o0o.

Charlotte rubbed her eyes, tired and stressed of all the research and paperwork that she did today. Books were stacked on top of each other, building up to be an abstract skyscraper. Paper strewn everywhere over her desk and a dangerously low ink bottle stood precariously on the edge of the table, this week was so hectic for her. The clave ordered her to find Axel Mortmain in a time span of a few weeks and so far she has no leads where he is. She was almost out of hope.

When Cecily came, Charlotte burst into happiness. Knowing that she had some sort of connection between Axel Mortmain and the clockwork army, but when Cecily told her story on the first day of her arrival, they were back to square one. Even Benedict Lightwood was sending letters of mockery, telling her that she was doing a lousy job and that she should give up.

But Charlotte was never the type to give up.

Anyway, throughout the day she furiously scribbled signatures on consent letters that were given by other fellow shadow hunters claiming that they saw the whereabouts of Mortmain. She read through documents and book files about him too, she never worked this feverously to find one specific person in her life before.

Then there was another thing she had to work on, she was going to invade the Ravenscar manor where Cecily and her mother lived. Perhaps they could find some sort of clue to find Axel Mortmain, Charlotte was begging for one. She was going to need help from Jem, Gideon, Gabriel…maybe Will.

She had doubts whether to let Will come or let him stay at the institute. He was related to the case and it feared her that he would interfere with the investigation, even though he demanded to invade the manor himself. Charlotte could only imagine how broken Will was, learning about the devastating news about his family outside of the shadowhunter business. She was grown so fond and attached to Will, like a mother with her son. She was also worried about him, after days of drinking himself crazy in the Devil's Tavern she didn't know what to think of him.

Charlotte sighed as she began to read over letters and other papers, resuming her overwhelming stress of being in charge. She knew it wasn't good for the baby, but she must continue, or else that blasted Benedict Lightwood would take away her institute.

.o0o.

Magnus gazed onto the flickering fireplace that illuminated the dark room. He watched the white and black ashes fly into the air as the burning hot logs crackled and spat. In his hand was a long metal rod that he used to tend the fire, he hadn't used it since the fire was doing exceptionally well on its own. The light flickered onto the velvet couches that guests used to come visit him, the piano on the far corner stood peacefully and unplayed in a while. Potions and spell books were arranged in an organized fashion on the bookshelves that covered the east and south walls of the room, and in the middle, there stood a small wooden table that held a black rose that Camille gave him before she left him.

"_I do hope when I see you again you've changed your mind about us. In the meantime, I will leave you something to remember me by." _She said, He sighed as he picked up the thorny black rose and twirled it with his fingers, reminiscing about his past few hours with his beloved: Camille, who often disappeared from his life.

He looked up to find Will standing before him, after hearing the door open and close. His blue eyes flared like the fire that blazed in the fireplace. He sighed as he put the rose down and folded his hands in expectation.

"Will Herondale, I didn't expect you to be back so soon." He said, then he gestured to the couch "Please, take a seat." He nodded quickly as he sat on the edge of the seat. Magnus could see that he was deeply troubled.

"Whatever is the matter?" Magnus asked "I thought you'd be twirling away with the love of your life right now."

Will laughed with no humor "Magnus, how could I be so stupid?"

He tilted his head "Talk to me."

He looked at Magnus with his scorching eyes, full of discarded hope and loss. "While I was trying to find the demon who cursed me, she already began to fancy someone else."He muttered

Magnus sighed, this was the usual case of _hey, you need a pep talk that's all. "_Will, all you need to do is win her heart back, really with your-"

"I can't" He interrupted, rubbing his hands together. "Tessa's engaged to Jem."

He looked at him in surprise, he didn't expect that coming. "_James Carstairs? I had no idea"_

"Me neither " He responded, his voice was getting thick. Magnus didn't know what advice to give anymore, he pitied Will. With his life being all twisted and torn, he could even feel his sadness sweeping into the room.

" But after you told her that you loved her-"

"Anyways" Will interrupted again "That is not what I came to talk about."

His eyes widened. "Then what is it?"

The blue eyed boy exhaled. "Cecily came to the institute."

Magnus didn't say anything, listening attentively on what he had to say. He already knew about Will's sister, and how she was supposed to be dead and all, he was intrigued.

"She wanted to become a shadowhunter." He said, then he started to explain the whole background story behind her. How she escaped the accident, why she was living with Axel Mortmain, even the details about his mother. As he continued on he watched as Magnus' pupils grow bigger. "Then, when we were all practicing, she suddenly attacked us."

"Attacked you?"

"Yes, me and Tessa. It was strange because she was fighting like a professional and that she couldn't remember a thing when she woke up from her injury." He explained "I don't know what to make out of this, it was like she had a multiple personality disorder."

"Hmm" Magnus mused."Keep an eye on her, if she does attack you again make sure that you ask questions about herself if she really has the disorder."

"Right." Will said, then a loud clang rung through their ears. It was the grandfather clock and it the long hand pointed to a big twelve. Magnus watched as he rose off from his chair.

"Off so soon? You usually stay for at least four hours." He asked

"Six fingered Nigel has an offer of free brandy at midnight, so I have to run along before it strikes one." He said, and then he vanished from his sight, slamming the door behind him. Magnus sighed, _With troubles like that, he would be drinking himself to his death. _He thought, then he resumed to watching the last flickers of the dying fire.


	6. Piano Hands

**Hey guys! Sorry that it took so long for me to update! High school homework and all, it completely covers my time to do some fan fiction. Basically this is like a small little story between Tessa and Cecily and there is somewhat of a songfic in here! It's called Beautiful Disaster by Kelly Clarkson! The next chapter with be the boys ^_^**

**Cassandra Clare mentions a DSDS in Clockwork Princess. I know that the first D S is dirty sexy and the last s is scene. What could that other D mean? Dirty Sexy Desk Scene? Dirty Sexy daybed scene? Dirty Sexy dark scene? Dirty Sexy Duck Scene or maybe **_**Dirty Sexy Dark Chocolate scene? **_**(Ok that one doesn't count :) Tell me what you think DSDS means!**

**Enjoy! :3 Reviews PLS**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

Cecily wandered around the hall, exploring every room. She pretended it was the Ravenscar manor, hunting clues to unravel the truth behind Mortmain's doings, armed with a pocket knife hitched to her thigh she was ready to take action. Scanning the rooms for a familiar face that haunted her dreams and ate her energy, she kicked one of the doors open and clenched her fists as she made her way into the room. She turned around and screamed, it, it, it…

Was a spider

She sighed as she closed the door and her made up fantasies and decided to do something else today. Cecily circled around the institute, wanting to do something. She found Tessa in the library (as usual) but she didn't feel like reading, nor did she want to disturb her. She found Jessamine in her room, combing and humming alone. She smirked, nor did she want another 'ladylike' discussion with her, Charlotte was busy and so was Henry, Sophie was busy cleaning up the institute so she constantly wandered everywhere. And as for Bridget, she didn't want to hear any of her horrible ballads.

She walked up the hallways and corridors until she found a particularly large French door with silver door knobs. It seemed interesting enough so she entered it with the turn of a knob. Cecily found herself in a breathtakingly beautiful room, plants were set all around and small tables housed picture perfect porcelains. There were white washed windows that opened a fresh spring breeze that brought her in invitingly. And in the middle, there was a grand piano. Polished to perfection that sat on a beautiful Persian carpet, Cecily went over excitingly and ran her fingers across the smooth black and white keys. She played piano since she was five years old and now it seemed like she was meeting an old friend. She sat down hesitantly on the black cushioned seat as she laid her fingers on G major. She breathed in and out and began to play.

The piece that she was playing that had a nice melodramatic tune to it. Playing each note with such emotion, softly guiding the piece with her fingers, she closed her eyes and she felt like she was at home, having her family watch her play piano like they used to every night. As she hit the last notes to the song, ending with a soft triad she breathed. The instrument was so relaxing, a place to be free of stress and to let go of reality for a while. Then she began to play another and another, some had lyrics but she just distantly hummed to them, since she convinced herself that she wasn't a good singer.

In the middle of her piece she heard the door slowly creak open, she found Tessa, holding a book in her hand while smiling softly at her. Cecily abruptly stopped playing.

"Am I disturbing you?" Cecily asked "I'm sorry-"

"No, No!" Tessa exclaimed as she came into the room. "Please, finish your piece"

Cecily bit her lip to hide her growing smile as she continued her piece. Tessa was amazed, she never knew that Will's sister was a musical. She was taken how perfectly she played it, with such raw emotion. Like Will reading from a book. It was bliss

When she ended, Tessa clapped. "Wonderful! I never knew that you played piano." She said

She smiled. "Ever since I was five, Will used to know a bit but I doubt that he practices anymore."

"That's a shame" Tessa sighed, she looked over the shiny keys. "My aunt used to play the piano and she used to make me sing" She said

"Oh come on, I bet you have a delightful singing voice." She put her hands on the keys. "Sing along, I bet you know this tune." She began to play and Tessa smiled, listening to the familiar notes. "Fine" She said as she opened her mouth and sang, Cecily joined in. As the song swiftly ended in expressive notes both girls exhaled, enjoying the little pleasure of song in the room.

"Cecily, I had no idea you could sing." Tessa wondered, Cecily blushed and looked down at the keys

"I'm not a good singer" She said in modesty "Compared to an Angelic voice like yours."

Tessa couldn't help but burst into laughter, Cecily was so startled that her fingers clamped down at the piano keys, making an awful, conjoined sound.

"You're as funny as your brother." Tessa suddenly said, she bit her lip wanting to take back what she said but it was too late, she was beginning to redden and a spark of interest ignited in Cecily's blue eyes.

"Sing something for me." Tessa abruptly said, trying to minimize any _Will _talk. "Sing and play"

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Please?" Tessa pled, she almost sounded like a little child

She sighed in defeat as she rummaged through her ransacked memory of particular sing songs. She found one and started to put her hands on the right keys. She took a moment first before she began to play. A soft, melody started off into the intro, and then she began to open her mouth to sing:

Tessa's heart sank as she listened to the lyrics. Her throat got tight when two pieces of a memory blended together. The thoughts of Will flooded into her mind, how close the lyrics described him, she continued to listen to Cecily sing. The words, Magic and myth and frayed and the end almost broke Tessa down into a tight sob. She sucked in her breath and bit her lip from doing so.

After the chorus, Cecily finished with a soft note at the end. Tessa erupted in applause even thought her heart was much heavied after. Cecily blushed as she cleared her voice. "I could teach you if you wanted." She offered.

"No no!" Tessa wavered, thinking how awkward it would be if she sang a song that described Will. "I mean, there's no way I could perfect it. You did it so beautifully." She complemented.

She shrugged as she rose from the piano seat. She ran her fingers over the black and white keys one more time before closing it with the lid. She brushed her skirts and fluffed them out, Tessa watched as she headed to open the doors.

"I think I'll get something to eat." Cecily said, Tessa followed her "I'll come with you"

As they walked to the kitchen, Tessa thought of a subject to talk about. "Jem also plays an instrument too." She said

"Your fiancée?"

Her stomach twisted "Y-yes, I thought you ought to know that he plays the violin."

The corners of her lips pulled into a smile. "I never heard Mr. Carstairs play." She said

"I'll have him play when he gets back." Tessa said, they turned another corner, finally arriving to the kitchen where Bridget came out with delectable looking fruit tarts."Perhaps Jem and you could play together."

Cecily went over and plucked the fruit tart from the tray, thanking Bridget. She went back over to Tessa, and handed her a fruit tart, she nibbled on hers generously. "Perhaps."

**Sorry guys i'm too afraid to have my story flagged if I post the lyrics. But please, while you read this story I ****really ****recommend you guys listen to the song to get a good feel on what Tessa is sobbing inside about. :)**


	7. Wicked Shadow

**Hello you beautiful people!**

**Thanks to everyone so far for reading this far, it makes me happy :)**

**Sorry if this chapter was a bit fast and all over the place.**

**Review and send some love :3**

**DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

"Good Lord, what does my mother have to do with all of this?"

Tessa paced about, fingering her clockwork angel. It was a habit that she had grown accustomed to whenever she started to worry. Jem sat pleasantly beside her chair, sipping some hot tea that Sophie brought in. Henry was busy tinkering about with his new invention, muttering equations to himself. Jessamine stood, twirling her hair around her finger, looking as bored as ever. And as for Charlotte, she seemed to be the exact same dilemma as Tessa, both ladies pacing back and forth repeatedly. Will leaned against the library's love seat, watching everyone.

"Perhaps she was an acquaintance of Mortmain's It seems that she is a spy." Jem suggested

"There's no way that my mother could work for a horrible man like Mortmain." Tessa said shakily, her paces getting quicker. "She was a kind and caring lady Jem."

"I believe that she is Tessa" Charlotte sided "But, whatever the reason she wrote to Axel. We need to find out everything about you mother, your family-"

"I have **no **family" Tessa replied, in the matter of fact it was quite sharply delivered, everyone was looking at her in surprise. Silence filled the room suddenly.

"You finally understand what it feels like to be me Tessa." Jessamine said dryly, she was on the verge of tears, she clenched her fists together. "Didn't I tell you? We're like cousins, like sisters. You didn't believe that Nate was good to me."

Tessa sighed, stopping her pace to look at Jessamine with tired eyes. "Jessamine I think-"

She sniffed and turned her heel "-I better leave, I'm causing quite fuss in here aren't I?" Then with the slam of the door she was gone. Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Would you like me to fetch her?" Sophie offered politely

Charlotte shook her head. "No, it's fine Sophie."

"Moving on" Charlotte resumed "Will, what did you find in Mortmain's study? Anything else peculiar?"

"Gideon found strange gears in one of Mortmain's boxes." He said, he put his hand in his pocket and tossed the small cog to Henry who which caught it by surprise. He turned his attention away from his invention to study the cog.

"Well?" Charlotte asked

"Well, it seems like it's essential to _something. _There's little buttons and wires here, I'll have to examine more back in the lab." He averted his eyes to his wife, silently asking for permission to go. She sighed as she waved her hand in dismissal as he darted out of the room.

"There's more in your office Charlotte, Jem dropped it off when we came." Will said

"Oh" Jem said "Will, do you have those blueprints that you picked up in the Manor?"

He nodded as he opened the latch of his satchel and pulled out a long paper full of odd drawings, lines and numbers. He handed it to Charlotte. She took a quick scan for a moment before looking back at Jem, she sighed again. "I can't read this." She said, "Sophie dear can you bring this to Henry for me please? I hope that he could decode this mess." Sophie went over and took the paper from her, now leaving the four of them in the room.

Charlotte sat on one of the chairs and breathed heavily. "At least we have a clue."

Will watched Tessa pace back and forth, now nibbling on her clockwork angel.

"Tessa, can you remember anything important about your parents? Like where they worked or…" She trailed off, hoping that she could catch on.

She paused for a moment to think. "M-my parents…I never knew where they worked I was too young at that time. But I remember that we were a happy family, always laughing and smiling." She bit her lip trying to hide the agonizing pain from those faint memories. "Then that incident, they died in a carriage accident." From there, she faltered, unable to say anything about it. "I'm sorry Charlotte, there's nothing to tell you."

Charlotte frowned apologetically. "That's alright, but tell us if you remember something alright?" Tessa nodded in agreement.

"We'll have to start from the beginning." She said "Will, Jem and Gideon will leave first thing in the morning to leave for the Shadowhunter archive in the City of Glass, I shall go with you." She ordered, they nodded comprehensively. "Hopefully, Elizabeth or Richard Gray will turn up-"

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream echoed through the hallways. Without hesitation, all of them burst out of the library doors to follow the screams. With some seraph blades to their aid they found Sophie trapped in Cecily arms where she held a knife to her throat (hallway). Gideon was there, frantically trying to find some sort of way to save Sophie and calm Cecily down.

"What happened?" Tessa asked

"I don't know, Cecily was talking to Sophie and then she suddenly put a knife to her throat!" Gideon exclaimed

Will cautiously went over to her sister who was snarling and hissing at her. When he looked into her eyes there was something definitely wrong. Instead of sea blue eyes, they were replaced by cold blood eyes.

"Don't come any closer!" She snarled, digging the knife a bit into Sophie's throat. "Or I'll kill her."

Tessa stepped forward "Cecily!" Will instinctively pushed her away from her sister.

Cecily looked at Tessa. Her blood curdled as she looked into her soul with her cold red eyes. "You don't belong here" She spat

Tessa ignored the hurtful comment. "Remember your music Cecily, remember your piano."

She glared at her for a moment before saying anything. "You fool, _she's not coming back. _She's a weak little creature, she deserves to wither and die."

Everyone was taken aback. _Was this Cecily talking?_

She kept on moving forward. "Remember that song you played? Remember my awful singing voice you called 'angelic'?"

She loosened her grip, the knife falling down to Sophie's stomach. They could see her hatred filled eyes fade into a recognizable shade of blue. "I-"She stammered, and then her eyes turned back into red. "That won't work, I am **stronger." **She yelled.

Charlotte watched Gideon slowly advance behind her, when he disappeared behind her Charlotte nodded at him. With swift speed, he grabbed her arms and pulled her back. She screamed as the knife wailed around in the air. Sophie tackled Tessa with a hug, giving out sobs. Tessa stroked her hair in assurance. Everyone watched the screaming Cecily kick with her legs furiously as her eyes burned into a deep scarlet. After staring at her scream and thrash, Gideon was getting tired.

"Bring her to the restraining room. " Charlotte ordered thickly. Will was so confused, seeing his sister in this state.

"Where exactly is that?" Gideon said, dodging her knife attacks.

"Follow me" Jem said as he led them through hallways and corridors until finding the right room. He opened it to find a particularly small room. In the middle was a horrifying looking bed that had shackles for that held around the wrists, ankles and stomach. Jem hesitantly unlatch the shackles as Gideon pushed her down, the shackles clamped her down hard but she continued to scream and thrash, spitting out awful curses that made everyone hold their breath.

"Cecily" Will said breathlessly

"Call Brother Enoch Will." Charlotte said, still staring at Cecily in awe.

"This isn't my Cecily." He said breathlessly, Jem held him arm. "I'll come with you." He said, and they went out of the screaming room.

Tessa watched helplessly, gripping Will's knife in her hands. Cecily couldn't manage to calm down, the Cecily she once knew was now transformed into a horrific beast. There's no doubt that there was something wrong with her, and without a word to one another, everyone agreed.

.o0o.

Tessa couldn't help but feel startled again whenever she saw one of the brothers. With their holey like eyes that seemed to claw into your soul, their mouth stitched ever so tightly to prevent them muttering a single word and ghostly pale skin that looked cold to the touch. She was thankful that they wore robes, hiding whatever grotesque figure beneath the thick cloth.

Brother Enoch stared into the angry eyes of Cecily, who seemed to calm down a bit, huffing and puffing. Charlotte waited uneasily.

"Let me go you stupid fools!" She screamed, thrashing around

"What's wrong with her?" Jem asked quietly

_It seems that there is a problem with her heart. _Brother Enoch explained. _The girl you see screaming is indeed not Cecily, only using it as a host to provide harm to others._

"LIAR!" Cecily screamed

Brother Enoch turned his gaze away from Cecily and looked at Charlotte. _I will perform a banishing spell on her with my brothers at Silent City._

Charlotte nodded sadly "I see, Gideon can you carry Cecily for Brother Enoch please?"

He nodded as he started to carefully unlatch the wild beast from the device. Will went over to help him, everyone else just stared. Charlotte seemed to be 'talking' to Brother Enoch about something because she was going 'alright, hmmm'. When Gideon gripped Cecily's flailing arms and Will gripped her kicking legs, Charlotte motioned them to show Brother Enoch out of the institute. They all could hear her ear piercing screams that echoed in the hallways.

Jem cleared his throat, breaking the glass of silence that paned over them. "Charlotte is there anything else to mention or shall be disperse our separate ways?"

She ran her fingers through the loose strands of her braided hair. "I believe that we have covered everything Jem." Then she looked at Tessa, there was signs of anxiety in her gray eyes. "Tessa, if you have anything-**anything-**to tell us of your past memories, please don't hesitate to tell." She reminded her, she nodded slowly in response.

Charlotte gathered herself up and let out a small breath. "I will be at my study if anybody needs me, I will leave you to your own devices." And with that, she was gone.

Jem slowly walked over to Tessa."That was rather a scene wasn't it?"

Tessa nodded, still shivering from Cecily's screams. "She was just fine yesterday; I don't know the reasons for her behavior today."

Slowly, and without warning, he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled in close, smelling his sweet scent and the warmth of his body. He kissed the top of her head.

"If that was you instead of Sophie, I would've chopped that girl into pieces." He mumbled against her hair.

Her laugh was muffled against his shirt "Will would surely buy a coffin for you in no time." Jem didn't say anything; he just rocked him and Tessa back and forth, like a rocking chair.

"He will soon."

Tessa pulled away and disbelief filled in her eyes. "Jem, that's not going to happen, we are going to find you a cure."

He gave a weak smile. Even with Tessa- the most wonderful lady he had ever met in his lifetime- he was still getting sicker than ever.

He was losing hope.

.o0o.

Will couldn't bear to hear the agonizing screams that flooded the chamber. They were out of the chamber at the moment, partially because they weren't supposed to. Watching ancient shadowhunter magic performed by the brothers was deadly, just looking at it you would blank out and die. Another reason was because that Cecily was going to be tormented in order to be well again. And Will knew that those screams were…just wasn't hers.

Gideon was standing beside him, his head down and his hands clenching his elbows. Squirming every time a horrific scream blared in his ears; it had been going on for at least seven hours and right now, they were supposed to be having supper. Their eyes were getting heavy and they had trouble supporting their own weight. They were staring to get claustrophobic between the stone walls that had no windows and the tiniest bit of light. Will watched a rat run across the corridor to nibble on a foreign object; he wrinkled his nose in disgust. The lack of initiation to simply clean up was incredible, it might as well be a sewer down here.

He sighed. He was worried about his little sister, he didn't know why she was acting so strange and he wanted her back. He waited anxiously for the door to open, with his normal, peaceful sister awake and alive. So far she managed to hurt Tessa and Sophie. Out of nowhere, he laughed quietly.

_Herondales have 'harming people' in their blood._

While Will was playing with that thought, Gideon on the other hand was downright scared. He was sweating profusely and his fingers were trembling. His heart just couldn't stop racing, he needed to calm down.

He knew inside that he should quit so he could be done, but that couldn't be. He had to do this.

Both boys jumped at the sound of a door creaking open but no one came out. They looked at each other in surprise as they welcomed the fact that they were allowed to come in. Proceeding in caution, they walked into the room.

The room was fairly small in size. Pillars were lined up in the east and west walls, stone floors covered every inch of the ground and in the front was a stain glass window, separate colorful pieces of glass were moved around to make an image of a cup. Will recognized this, it was a picture of the mortal cup. The sun shone through the glass, shining in different colors. The brothers were around, each standing beside a pillar. And in the center, where the light met the ground was Cecily. She was on the floor, lying down. She was wearing a white nightgown. She was curled up into a little ball, her ebony black hair covering her hair. There were no signs on her that she was breathing.

Will stood in front of her. His whole body shaking as he knelt down beside her.

"Is she dead?"


	8. Hide and Seek

**Hey hey everybody! I keeping these updates as fast as I can because I am not a PATIENT person, and I don't like to make people wait. :)**

**DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

"_aaa-AHHHH!"_

"_Mother?"_

_She looked to her side and saw her little girl peeping through the crack of the door. Her eyes were in shock, conveying a sense of fear. She was fully aware of her ripped open bodice and her exposed breasts, her leg was wrapped a man's neck. She was chained to the bed, unable to push the man off of her. The bed's covers were on the floor and there were scraps of fabric laid onto the mattress. This man was not her lover, in fact a rapist. To think for three weeks he was a gentleman…_

_The girl's bright blue eyes got her feared message loud and clear. She was afraid, unable to move her legs or scream for help. She just froze with absolute horror, incapable of prying her eyes off the man that was doing __unspeakable __things to her, she wanted to look away, and she wanted to look away so badly._

"_G-get away from her!" She yelled, but she did not dare to step in. Imagining what things he could possibly do to her…_

_The man smiled wickedly and didn't say a thing. Then he began to lick her-Mother screamed/groaned, her eyes were locked onto hers._

"_Mother!"_

_Then suddenly, the picture distorted and shattered. Blackness unveiled itself; a thousand whispers crowd the tight room. The whispers grow louder and louder, eventually making her ears bleed. She screamed for dear life-_

"_Youdon'tbelonghereyoudon'tbelonghereyoudon'tbelonghere"_

Will was staring at her sister, who was tossing and turning. Groaning words that he couldn't understand. He watched her for a couple of moments before he could wake her from her nightmare. He reached over and hesitantly touched her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. First, his shake did nothing to her. The nightmare only seemed to worsen as his shakes gradually became rougher.

"Cecily" He said, trying to wake her up with a bit of a raised voice.

"Mmmmm" She mumbled against her pillow, beneath her thick eyelashes was a glimmer of tears, eventually falling down and wetting her cheeks.

He shook her again and this time she sat up and screamed. Her black bed head hair was tossed around covering her parts of her face except the eyes, they were filled in horror. She panted, trying to catch her breath from that horrible nightmare. She clenched the soft fabric of the blanket between her fingers, pulling her knees together so that she could rock back and forth to calm herself down. Will helped by putting his arms around her.

"It's just a dream Cecily." He cooed

She shook her head vigorously."We have to save mother Will, we just have to." She cried, the mention of mother made his heart pound.

"We will, don't worry." Will assured, stroking her hair, he could feel her hot tears dripping down his neck.

"But what happens if she's dead Will? What will happen then?"

"She's not dead, I know she's not."

"How do you know Will?" She said quietly, Cecily pulled away from his brother and made him look her straight into her tear filled eyes.

"I-"He stammered, searching desperately for answers. He knew he had to say something that would back up what he said so that he would not upset his sister. He just knew that she wasn't dead; it was like family telepathy you could say. But before he could say something, Cecily immediately jumped in and interrupted.

"How do you know if Tessa loves you? How do you know what to say to her now that she is betrothed to Jem? I know you don't those things Will, but how do you know that our mother isn't dead?"

Will looked abruptly at her. Surprised that she would mention such a faraway topic in the middle of a discussion about mother, they looked at each other for a while not muttering a single word. Cecily bit her lip, maybe she had gone too far.

"How do you know about my feelings toward Tessa?" he whispered

Cecily looked lovingly toward him, she seemed to have calmed down a bit. "I can see the way you look at her. Your eyes grow so big and the affection in them is incredible." She said "I know when Mr. Carstairs takes her away I can see a hint of tears that sweep in your eyes. You call her Tess. A nickname you always give her when you're alone together. When Jem and Tessa talk about their wedding plans you don't say a single word."

He looked at her in amazement. He laughed quietly in defeat, there was no doubt that she was right.

"When you thought you had the curse you pushed her away didn't you?" She said softly."But in the end, you realized that there was no curse cast on you and you wanted to tell Tessa. To tell her that you loved her." She saw a lump form in his throat but she continued. "But Jem proposed to her and now you've been broken ever since."

"Cecily" He said meekly "I don't know what to do anymore."

She touched his cheek."Did you tell her that you loved her?"

He nodded

She smiled "Then that's enough."

Will looked at her with pleading eyes. "But she doesn't love me."

"I think she does." She said "Just wait until it comes out of her mouth."

He smiled as he gently put his hand on her hand and slowly lowered it down onto her lap. "Thank you." He said, and then he looked at the door. "Even if mother is dead she is still with us. Remember that Cecily."

She nodded and took that for an answer. In that moment, the door swung open. Both of them turned around to see Tessa standing at the doorway. Her hair was pinned up in a held up by hairclips and she wore a rosy red dress. As usual, there was a book in her hands. They stared at her for a while, Tessa's gaze met Will's but they quickly turned away, blushing. Cecily smirked, taking that little observation for herself or for future purposes.

Tessa cleared her throat at looked unwillingly towards Will, even though he was looking away from her. "I will watch over Cecily." She said "You can take a rest Will." When she said his name, her heart did a literally did a flip flop. Silently cursing herself.

He rose up hesitantly and looked at Cecily.

"It's alright Will, you did your job, thank you." She said, he nodded at her as he went past Tessa and disappeared from the room with a click of a closed door. Tessa smiled at Cecily as she made her way to sit where her brother sat. The atmosphere changed for Cecily, they were just talking about Miss. Gray a few seconds ago.

"How are you feeling Cecily?" She asked politely

"Well, thank you."

As Tessa asked her questions to start off a proper conversation Cecily couldn't help but feel trapped. The girl that Will loved was sitting right beside her, she could tell her right now but she held herself back.

_No _She thought. _Tessa will tell Will in her own time. Let everything fall into place naturally._

.o0o.

"This is what I call the 'Bracket fastener'. To operate this device I made myself just click the lever and then you-"

"I'm sorry Henry dear, but we need start the meeting."

"Oh, that's quite alright darling I'll explain another time."

Once again, Jessamine, Will, Tessa, Jem, Gideon, Henry and Charlotte were back at the library for a brief conference. Charlotte ordered them in as soon as she had information from Brother Enoch and Cecily concerning the mechanical device put into Will's sister. It felt good to have a new lead to follow, Charlotte felt as if she was at the top of the world.

"We are here to discuss this device:" She held up a small looking device that held many gears, cogs and wires. It was golden and shiny. "That was put into the heart of Cecily."

"It was put there to use Cecily's body as a host so that it can inflict danger on the ones it targets. Henry analyzed the device and found another feature. It is also a tape recorder, and so far it has taped our discussions. " Charlotte cleared her throat in discomfort."Mortmain designed this himself, the initials A.M are carved onto the side of the device displayed here. Now Cecily wasn't into his diabolic plan and she wasn't aware of it either. We assume that when Cecily was sleeping, Mortmain implanted the device into her heart without her knowing. This can explain why Cecily was trying to hurt Tessa and Sophie."

Jem raised his hand. "But why didn't the device control Cecily into kidnapping Tessa? That would've caused a lot less trouble."

Charlotte sighed. "We don't know, Perhaps it was a message to say 'if you don't hand Tessa to me then I'll inflict danger on you all." So that we have to deliver Tessa ourselves to his devious delight."

"I bet Mortmain installed a tracking device to locate Cecily's whereabouts." Will said."Maybe we can use that to track him down."

She shook her head as she twirled the device with her fingers. "We tried to but we couldn't, it seems that Axel is one step ahead of us." She tore her gaze off of her boots and looked at Will."What did you find at the Shadowhunter archive in the City of Glass?" she asked

Jem shook his head. "Nothing much, we found Elizabeth Gray is indeed a shadowhunter but that is it. We couldn't find Richard Gray."

Charlotte frowned, but Tessa seemed to smile. "That's a good start for me, trying to find who exactly my parents are." They nodded in agreement.

"Let's listen to the recordings and see what Mortmain has learned." Jem suggested, Everyone grimaced, Charlotte tossed the device to Henry. He fiddled with it for a moment, turning it around. It took him quite a while. Finally he looked up and saw that everyone was staring at him, he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry" He apologized. "It takes a while to figure this contraption out."

He flicked something on the device and a scratchy like noise filled their eyes. Soon, words started to form.

"_Will, what did you find in Mortmain's study? Anything else peculiar?"_

"_Gideon found strange gears in one of Mortmain's boxes."_

"_M-my parents…I never knew where they worked I was too young at that time. But I remember that we were a happy family, always laughing and smiling. Then that incident, they died in a carriage accident."_

"_Hopefully, Elizabeth or Richard Gray will turn up-" (Sophie's scream)_

"_Remember your music Cecily, remember your piano."_

_(Static)_

"_I will be your partner in class Cecily"_

"_Stop touching me!"_

"_Brown, what a disgusting color"_

"_I'm going to eat __**all **__of the chocolate tarts, not a crumb left for you!"_

"_You can't possibly be thinking that on your wedding day."_

"_He's a dammed as he seems, and more heaven than a heart could hold."_

"_Demon pox can kill a duck, believe me."_

Everyone stared at Will, he smiled foolishly. "It can, trust me." He said. After that last line there was a long period of static. Charlotte assumed that it was over and motioned Henry to turn it off, but before he could a breathing sound came on, he paused for a bit.

"_You have three days shadow hunters. Three days until the Invasion starts, give up on your investigation, I have no weaknesses."_

And with that, the line went dead.


	9. My own definition of Perfect

**This one is all about Sophie and Gideon! Sorry if it sucks like hell, I tried my best ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

Sophie stared beyond the window; her eyes were set on a lovely birch tree that swayed with the wind in harmony. It looked quite nice outside, splendid day to have a picnic outdoors. She could imagine herself, in the park, enjoying the scenery while eating a sandwich, and then Jem would be there, laughing and smiling at her as if he never held the sickness. And then, when the birds would chirp, he would tuck a lock of her brown hair behind her ear and lean closer, ever so lean closer to her.

She shook her head, scolding herself for thinking such scandalous thoughts. Sophie had to constantly remind herself that Mr. Carstairs was engaged to Tessa and that there was no possible way for her to get any close to him at all. She sighed as she fingered her pearl necklace that hung gorgeously around her bare neck; it broke her heart that she couldn't even confess to him. It was pointless to tell him now because she already knew nothing was going to change. Why would Jem love an ugly, peasant such as herself? She had a maid outfit and a gruesome scar to prove it. Why, Sophie didn't think she was beautiful at all, nor was she energetic, smart and funny. Nobody would come close to her.

Lingering on the sad, sad thought, she continued to sweep the music room. Her eyes fell onto the beautiful piano that Cecily once played. Sophie heard her music all the time and it was so often it started to become expected. The music she played was so beautiful, so much emotion, something along the lines of Jem's music. But, the piano, she had always wanted to learn it but never got the chance too. _I'm not talented either. _She thought. Sophie was shaken how Mortmain implanted the device into poor Miss Herondale to cause harm to others! Not to mention the tape recording installment to spy on them. He was an awful and unforgivable man.

Then her thoughts averted to the horrific scenes of yesterday. It was the day Cecily was threatening to hurt her, Sophie was absolutely terrified, who would be? She was spitting out such curses that ladies should never say and the longing to kill her was so driven that it scared Sophie so much. But thankfully, Mr. Lightwood happened to come by and notice her dilemma, she was so relieved when he trapped Cecily so that she could be free. Then she stopped, she hadn't thanked him for what he did for her! She would have to do it when she saw him again.

She lifted her broom as she turned the doorknob to leave the cleaned room. As she made her way into the attic to put away the broom and dustpan, she ran into somebody as she turned the corridor. Before she could trip and fall, that somebody held her before she could. Sophie could hear her dustpan and her broom clatter to the floor.

"I am terribly sorry, I shouldn't have been so careless, I-"

She looked up and a pair of gleaming green eyes staring at her. It was in fact, Mr. Lightwood. He was dressed elegantly for the day, looking at dashing as always. She couldn't help but blush, and then starting to question herself why she was blushing so.

"M-Mr. Lightwood!" She exclaimed, fumbling as she picked up her broom and dustpan. "I didn't mean to cause you any harm! I mean, I-"

He held up his hand and smiled warmly at her. "No blood, no foul." He said, but that didn't assure Sophie very much

"I'm terribly sorry" She repeated, this time faintly whispering.

Then his eyes bore into hers, both of them staring intently at each other for a while now. Sophie realized that she was staring at Gideon for a period a time, she flushed again as she curtsied for dismissal.

"Good day" She murmured, Gideon's heart quickened in panic. Worrying that he had upset her in a way, also that part of him didn't want her to go away yet. The only time they talked was at training and that was all, he never really got to know Sophie's background, and as a gentleman he intended to know for reasons.

He grabbed her wrist."Wait!" He exclaimed, Sophie's heart literally flew out of her hammering chest.

He pulled her so surprisingly to him that she tripped as she twirled to face him. He was even so surprised that he managed to catch her….by his lips.

Sophie was in shock, her lips were placed onto his tightly, holding her just like that. Gideon was shocked as well, but soon he gave into it. Properly covered his mouth with hers and closing his eyelids. She was shaking, _he's kissing me! _Her mind screamed. She wanted to pull away and run like hell away from him but for some reason she stayed, melting into his soft kiss. She put her small, delicate hands on his neck and closed her eyes. Sophie could feel his strong hands wrap around her waist, pulling her close to him. Sharing the same warmth, her heart fluttered with excitement as the kiss deepened and deepened. He took his left hand and tipped her maid cap over so that he could tangle his fingers in her lovely silk hair. His heart and brain was running a million miles per second, fuelling the empty space in his heart with her touch, her scent, of her being here with him. Gideon knew he loved her, and every second of the day whenever he saw her he wanted to be with her, but unlike a man he couldn't gather a single bit of courage to come up and talk to her, this was his chance to tell her. And right now, he was telling her with his deep kisses.

They parted for air, their foreheads touching, their eyes still closed. Sophie clung onto him, wishing that he wasn't a dream. Gideon did the same. Sophie was confused, what did that kiss mean? Why did she kiss back? Why did _he _kiss back? Most importantly, did she love him? To answer this, she tried to think of Jem, instead she got a flicker of silver, and then turning into a beautiful shade of green. The feeling coursed through her veins and then leading to her lips, she could say _I love you _with no hesitation at all.

"What was that?" She whispered, she knew what it meant for her and she wanted to know what he felt right now.

He pulled her closer, they breathing the same air right now. "Something that I've been meaning to tell you."

She smiled as her dull brown eyes met his sparkling emerald eyes. "And?"

He kissed her again, soft, sweet and brief before he pulled apart. "I've been meaning to tell you, Miss Sophie Collins, that I love you so."

Her heart leaped with joy. She had met her knight in shining armor and she never pictured him this beautiful. She put up her hand and began to caress his cheek. Sophie closed her eyes and said. "I love you too."

He wanted to explode in happiness, the lady he loved –by some reason- felt the same way too.

In that small piece of bliss, they enjoyed each other's company. Happy as could be.


	10. Unmasking bits of truth Before chapt7

**Holy crap I just realized I was missing a chapter. :( **

**This one comes before wicked shadow. I'm sorry if u read wicked shadow and you got a bit confused. There's some details here you may have missed. So sorry guys!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES.**

"Brown, what a disgusting color"

Cecily looked down at her training gear. Her skinny legs were covered in brown sweatpants that poofed at the corners hiding her incredibly pale skin from beneath. She wore a crème blouse that had a considerable neckline, decorated by lace, covering her arms with its loose sleeves. On her feet were her favorite black boots, sturdy and scuffed. Her hair was up in a ponytail, her black swirling hair curling around her shoulders while her bangs covered her forehead.

Tessa, Jessamine, Bridget and Sophie were wearing the same thing. It felt odd to see them without pretty dresses on; Jessamine was horrified, complaining about _'oh, a proper lady shouldn't wear garbage like these.' 'Oh, a proper lady shouldn't be involved with violence.' _It sickened Cecily, as if women weren't given any freedom at all.

She didn't mind the dress code; it was rather comfortable instead of dragging layers and layers of fabric with your body. It felt nice to wear _boy clothes._

"I wish it was a lovely pink color, or perhaps a ravishing violet." Jessamine sighed as she looked disappointingly at her pants.

"If it was, no one would take you seriously" Tessa reasoned

"By the angel, we ladies shouldn't be fighting with weapons and the like. We should only be focusing-"

"On pleasuring men." Tessa and Sophie said in harmony, their voices were thick with bored repetition.

She straightened up, closing her eyes to look strict."It seems that you both have been listening, now, tell me did you at least give it some thought?"

Before someone could say something, the door opened wide to reveal Gideon walking in. He looked at the five women with wide eyes before doing anything. He looked surprised. Then he came forward.

"Didn't Charlotte tell you?" He asked, looking puzzled

"Tell us what?"

"We're not having practice today, the reason for that it because we will be investigating the Ravenscar Manor today." Gideon explained

Cecily went white, she expected that she was going to go to, but he made it seem that she wasn't invited. She already knew about Will's plans to invade the manor, but she thought-

"Splendid!" Jessamine exclaimed, snapping Cecily out of her thoughts. "Well, then I'll be off!" And with a flick of her wrist she vanished, slamming the door behind her. Tessa and Sophie both looked awkward.

"Oh well, this is troubling for both you" He sighed as he picked up something from the back cabinet and went out of the door, leaving the four girls by themselves.

Moments after Gabriel left, Cecily abruptly went out the door. Feeling guilty for leaving Sophie, Bridget and Tessa alone, but she wanted to confirm that she was going with her brother. She hurried to the main hall, trying to pick up her skirts as she went, but all she caught was air. She was so used to wearing dresses that she forgot that she was wearing gear. Cecily hurried over and stopped to catch a glimpse of, Gideon and Will getting ready to leave, she could see a carriage parked outside where Jem and Cyril waited. She scowled _they are leaving without me!_

She straightened up and began to walk toward the carriage, trying to look as casual as possible. She was almost there when something caught her by the shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" Will inquired, spinning her around so that she could face him.

"I'm going with you to Ravenscar Manor, am I not?" She replied as she continued to walk over to the carriage, taking long strides.

Will caught her again. "No you're not; you are going to stay here with Charlotte, Tessa and Sophie."

She scowled at him "But I was the one that told you mother and Mortmain was there! Don't I deserve some sort of reward? Like coming with you?"

"Your right, you do deserve some sort of reward." Will said, she was startled a bit by his sudden giving in, and then he pointed at the kitchen door. "Bridget is making some lovely chocolate tarts, why don't you have a bite?" He said in pleasure as he pushed gently toward the kitchen.

"Will! That's not fair! I want to save mother as well!" She cried, he maintained his strict face.

"I know you do" He sighed "But I am not the sorts to put people in danger, especially you." Cecily could not help but stay still and nod in defeat. She watched as her brother and the others gather their belongings and head to the awaited carriage. But she wasn't going to let Will go just yet

"I'm going to eat **all **of the chocolate tarts, not a crumb left for you!" She hollered

"Then I'll make sure that Bridget puts rocks on your plate tonight!" Will hollered back as the carriage rattled off and disappeared from her line of vision. She sighed as she closed the doors and strode off to change her clothes for the day.

.o0o.

Will clutched the hilt of the seraph blade in his gloved hand, feeling its energy vibrate through his fingers. It shone brightly, reflecting the sun's beams everywhere, making illuminating blue light. They were in the train in one of its cars. The room was quite elegant, with pristine black leather couches with a coffee table that held four cups of wild raspberry tea and a department to load their luggage. The room also held the silence while other passengers moved and talked about.

Gideon stood quietly, with his arms and legs crossed looking out the window. Trees, buildings and other things passed by them in speed, blurring his vision. He rested his hand on his knee, resting on the train to be ready for the manor. He placed his top hat on the hook beside him, swinging as the train moved along the tracks. As he was looking out, he was thinking of his brother: Gabriel and what he was doing right now.

He was probably taking care of some business for his **sick **father: Benedict Lightwood. The last time that he seen his father he looked absolutely dreadful, with shield like rashes forming all over his skin creating massive fissures and cracks, there was also puss coming out in certain places that Gideon didn't want to think about. It was entirely his fault that he had sex with an _Eros demon. _One of the most 'human' like demons who could disguise themselves very well.

He wondered if Gabriel regretted siding with his father, he wondered if he still had confidence that he was right. He hoped that he would come back, join him in the institute but he doubted it. Gideon hadn't seen him in a while and he wondered if his brother thought of him at all, he wondered if he knew that he was thinking about him.

Then lastly, as he withdrew from his thoughts one remained snagged. A picture of a familiar scarred girl came into place. Her perfect heart shaped face, with black hair cascading down her small shoulders. Her luminous, dark hazel eyes glimmered and sparkled through her innocent eyelashes. Her lips were small and pink. There was only that scar but that didn't do anything. Gideon blushed at the thought of Miss. Collins, Sophie to be exact.

"Are you all excited to be invading the manor? You have these silly smiles upon your faces." Will stated, Jem smiled pleasantly as Gideon blushed harder.

"Then I should be smiling too" he said as he put on an obviously fake grin on his face, pointing at it with his finger.

"Actually, I'm quite excited to see someone when I return, if you know what I mean" Jem replied, there was a tone of hint in his voice.

Will knew what he was saying; he let down his smile as his heart resumed to slowly crumble away. He would not think of Tessa, he shall not think of his parabatai's fiancée because he felt that was a sin."Alright" He said as he looked onto Gideon, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Ah" He said "Miss. Sophie Collins I presume?"

Gideon sunk in his chair, putting his head down. "And why do you think that?" He mumbled uncertainly

"Because you're blushing."

He blushed further

"There's nothing to be shy of Mr. Lightwood" Jem assured "We've all been there right? Sophie is a wonderful lady; I can see why you're so infatuated with her."

Gideon sighed as he straightened up; he was going to say something when the ticket booth man came into their car. He held a hole puncher in his hand. His face was covered with a thick gray mustache.

"Tickets please." He said gruffly as he came around, punching small holes into their tickets. He said a rough thank you as he made his way to the next room. Will sighed and decided to drop the left off subject and began to pull out a copy of a new book out of his satchel. But when he realized the color of the book. He pulled out a copy of _Great Expectations. _Dumbfounded, he opened the front cover to reveal a note hiding between the pages. It was from Tessa, regarding a thank you for that other night. He smiled as he read on until the train finally made its destination.

When they finally boarded off the train, they made their way to Mr. Starkweather's mansion to drop off their things by a carriage. Mr. Starkweather didn't mind letting them stay for the night which surprised Will and Jem, they told him in advance that they would be staying. As soon as they went to Mr. Starkweather they made their way to the Ravenscar manor, they were given reports that there was no activity happening around the house, but they were still cautious. There could be traps lurking around the corners or perhaps those clockwork machines. With their weapons at hand they stealthily made their way through the front door. There was a lock put on the door so Gideon carved out an iratze pattern, making it burst into crackling smoke before swinging open.

Inside, they were in the main hall. It was beautiful. White marble floor polished and shined to perfection. In the middle was the grand staircase, made out of stunning black marble. A diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling, brimming in the light. On the west and east walls were stain glass windows, accompanied by bookshelves, tables and chairs. With its elegance and admirable fashion stirring in the air, they didn't waste time.

"We should split up." Jem suggested "We'll make good progress."

They all nodded in agreement as Gideon and Jem went behind the staircase. Will made his way upstairs with the blade in his hand. He checked every corridor, room, closet with precaution, but he found nothing out of place. He also checked every drawer and every bed to find some sort of clues but it was all the same. No one was there, just an eerie silence. Before he could join the others downstairs, there was another room on the far left. He was hesitant, wondering if it was another clueless room but he went in anyway. When he opened the room, he found something shocking. The room was almost ripped apart, the desk was toppled, curtains were ripped, and on the bed, there was something green on it. He went over and picked up a green cloth, somewhat like a lady's gown. He looked up and saw that the covers of the bed were strewn all over. Then he remembered what Cecily told him:

"_I went over and I saw mother. S-she was with Mortmain, he was doing…unspeakable things to her, I can't tell you but it was horrible. She told me to run and so I did, I can't believe I just left her behind."_

Will closed his eyes, and ran his hand over his hair. _Rape. _He thought. He knew that Cecily meant that her mother was being raped.

Then something touched his shoulder, in shadow hunter instinct he whirled around a brought the figure down to the floor with the blade on his neck. The person moved his arms frantically, staring at him with his keen silver eyes.

"Will, calm down it's me" Jem said, he immediately let go of Jem and put back his seraph blade. Jem could see in his eyes that he looked disturbed. Will began to sputter out 'apology excuses' while Jem averted his eyes to strewn green cloth that was on the floor and on the bed. His throat tightened.

"It's alright" Jem assured him, still keeping his eyes on the messy room, "this room indicates some sort of a struggle, any clues?

"Yes" Will muttered, loosening his collar, but before he could ask he decided to avoid the topic. "Anyway, did you find anything downstairs?" He asked

"Yes, Gideon and I found Mortmain's study and there are some things you should know" Jem said "Come, follow me"

He led Will downstairs and behind the black marble staircase. It led to a grand hallway, with doors on each side. They went through corridors and turns to find a door that was opened. It was a fairly big room with lots of bookshelves and windows. A desk was put on the east side of the wall, covered in unorganized papers, opened and unopened books were strewn all over the place and some shelves were completely empty. Boxes were stacked together beside the desk, with their flaps open, showing the contents inside of it. There were red velvet couches lined up in middle with a coffee table too, it held a elegant lantern and a globe of the world. Gideon was hovering over the boxes, opening them with the tip of his blade. Will and Jem hurried over to the messy desk.

Jem picked up a folder, thick with papers. He gave it to Will. He opened the folder to reveal a massive bunch of letters, to Mortmain and signed by various strangers. "These are letters regarding parts being delivered." Will informed, he flipped through the papers with his fingers. "There are some letters here informing about the whereabouts of…" He breathed "Tessa"

"Spies" Jem assumed "I guess Mortmain has a team of undercover spies looking for Tessa. The most recent letter in there was about two weeks ago"

"The most recent one about parts is three weeks ago." Will read "We better keep this, Charlotte can make use of this." He tucked it in his satchel, moving onto other things

"Will, come look at this" Gideon called over, He pointed at a few boxes that held parts, mysterious devices and gears that he had never seen. "Mortmain's parts, they were delivered while ago" Gideon said, Will picked up a peculiar piece, a spherical shape with teeth spiking everywhere, no larger that the size of a marble. "What is he making?" He mused

He went over to the desk again, he rummaged through drawers to find layers of unfinished blueprints, drawings of the parts that Gideon found. "What is he making" He mused again he tucked a couple in his satchel. He kept on coming across useless papers and objects, wondering if that's the only thing that Axel Mortmain was working on, but then his hand hit some hard and rectangular. He dug it out of the sand of papers and found a book. He picked it up and found that it was a small notebook, opened the book and flipped the pages, things were scrawled on different pages that he couldn't make out, then something fell from the book onto the floor. He put the notebook down to pick up note. It was all crumpled and ink scrawled on the front. He unraveled it to find a letter, he began to read it:

_Dear Axel, November, 18, 1868_

_I am in London now, one of the most interesting places I've been in. It's cloudy everyday and it rains constantly. I'm trying to find what you're looking for, even if it is rather difficult retrieving it. I hope that the next letter you will tell me what you will use it for, it is a one of a kind object it cannot be replaced. I also hope that you put it into good use._

_I trust you._

_-Elizabeth Gray_

As he read the name inscribed below his fingers were beginning to tremble. A million thoughts buzzed in his mind.

_How is Tessa's mother related to all of this?_


	11. Genesis of the clock pt 1

**Hey guys!**

**I'm really happy with the progress that I'm making, hopefully I will be done before Clockwork Princess comes out :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

_You have __**three**__ days shadow hunters. __**Three**__ days until the invasion starts, give up on your investigation, I have no weaknesses._

Charlotte tapped the small button indicated on the top corner of the left on the device. It stopped for a moment before she could tap it again to replay it. The raspy words of the old man whispered violently into her ears, threatening her in the sentences and in between the lines that held subconscious messages. She had replayed his words over and over for the whole night, discarding the thought of it having to break if she was overworking it. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her bed head hair. She couldn't sleep at all, not with that thought of _three days _in her mind. Charlotte knew that this was a warning. The invasion would be in three days and they were not completely ready yet. She was scared, and over time that fear grew into stress.

Charlotte needed answers, and fast. She needed to devise a plan among with the Clave, well for starters, she need to tell the Clave first. She wondered what their faces would be like, what words they would speak, what arguments and arousing panics that would fill the room and Charlotte would be in the middle of it. Then they would ask of that device that held _the three days, _and she would respond of a spy in their midst. Oh, how they would think that Charlotte was a blind lunatic for not being aware of Mortmain's obvious plans, for example: Spies. She would die of embarrassment, and it would be much more painful that Benedict Lightwood's case of demon pox.

She twirled the small mechanism in her hands before settling it on her table after convincing herself that she heard more than enough. Charlotte turned her gaze onto blank sheets of stationary paper. She rubbed her temples as she took a piece of paper unwillingly as she readied her feather quill pen. Charlotte thought for a moment before lowering her hand on the smooth sheet of paper. Her pen bobbed uneasily in her fingers as she began to write to the Clave. Charlotte steadied her work, carving out her letters with elegance meticulously.

_I, Charlotte Branwell, request a meeting for tomorrow if this is possible. My other fellow shadow hunters will accompany me with no one absent at that day. I wish to speak to the Clave for urgent reasons that will be discussed in the meeting. I hope-_

Her quill and her concentration clattered onto the table. Her hand was shaking as the once elegant t turned into a scribble monster. She turned around to see Henry standing at the door, closing the door knob carefully as his eyes was set on her. Charlotte sighed as she took the ruined letter and crumbled it

She shook her head; she didn't peel her eyes off the paper."I'm sorry; I just had a lot of work to do. And, I couldn't sleep."

His eyes averted to the paper where she was writing on. "The Clave? Charlotte dear that can wait until tomorrow." He put his fingers on the sheet as he started to pull it out from her hands.

Charlotte held onto the paper as if it was her own life."Henry no! I must do it now! We must have a meeting before the invasion starts!" She snapped the paper out of his hands and faced him.

"Mortmain is only trying to scare the dickens out of us. It's not going to happen in three days." He assured her.

"I'm sorry darling, but I just can't believe that." She looked painfully at him. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. A sign that he gave in.

"Let me help you with it." Henry demanded as he took a chair and sat down across from his wife. Charlotte looked helplessly at him. "That way you can finish faster so you can have a night's rest." He raised his hand and placed it onto her cheek. She breathed as she let his hand carry the weight of her head. "You've been stressing every night about different things." He said gently."I'm worried about you."

She smiled as he lowered his hand. She put her hand on his as their fingers curled together. "Thank-you for your concern Henry, I appreciate it." He smiled as he glanced at the blank sheet of paper that Charlotte began with.

"Shall we begin?"

After that previous night when Henry helped Charlotte with her letter, it was already time to attend the meeting with the Clave. Everyone was informed this right in the morning, and every one a bit confused and startled about the day's sudden plans but everyone understood. The Clave needed to know of Mortmain's plans; they needed strategies that Charlotte hoped that they would discuss over. After breakfast, everyone got ready for the trip. Will forced Cecily to stay in the institute to rest after her puppy face performance. Tessa did the same thing, only with Jem. She insisted that he stayed with Cecily because of his critical state (also, they didn't want an episode happening in the meeting). Will showed Cecily where he kept the _yin fen_ if Jem ever needed it.

And for everybody else, they went to the meeting with Charlotte and Henry. Gideon was loosening the collar of his shirt. It felt so odd having to side with the London institute instead with his overly proud father. He knew that he wasn't coming, in the position he was in no one wanted to see a green-blue man sitting with the Clave, ready to empty his stomach. But he smiled as Sophie politely gave him his top hat. Instinctively, he kissed the top of her head in a way of saying goodbye for now. She replied with hot cheeks that flamed her skin as she gingerly walked up the stairs.

Jem stood by his favorite cat: church as he waved goodbye to his companions until the heavy doors closed. He sighed as he turned in Church's direction.

"Shall we head off to the library my furry feline?" He asked, and with a stroke of his delicate white fur, they headed off to the west with Church meowing all the way.

Meanwhile, Tessa, Will, Gideon, Jessamine, Charlotte and Henry sat on the carriage as they waited patiently until it stopped. It was pleasantly quite and nobody seemed to care. Everyone was busy drowning themselves in their thoughts. Jessamine was stretching her gloved hand as she patted her lips after she yawned; it was another day that would be wasted. Well, to her anyway. She hated going to meetings, especially with Charlotte. But, this time, she came prepared. Hidden away in her weapon transforming purse was a book. Dog eared and crinkled was a romance novel that she recently started. She wondered if Tessa brought her book with her too, the one that Jessamine forced her to read.

"We're here." Cyril said as he came around and opened the carriage door. Everyone filed out of the dark, crowded place as they stepped into the beaming sunlight. Yes, beaming sunlight. Quite odd for a place like London, but everyone took advantage of it. Tessa could see people outside, having a picnic or having a splendid walk in the park, nice to be out instead of isolating yourself in your home.

They went through the secret passage way and over the guarded doors until they reached the main hall. It was full of shadow hunters, talking about in little groupies here and there. Nobody seemed notice them as they made their way inside. It was fascinating, seeing all sorts of people that practiced the shadow hunter life. Different faces, different personalities. Tessa felt like saying a hello to every single one of them. They were all waiting for the doors to open, so that they could start the meeting.

Charlotte nodded to the rest of the group that they would meet each other inside the meeting room. Jessamine disappeared in the crowd while Gideon, Tessa and Will were left by themselves. Leaving their undiscussed conversations to the loud talking noise that filled the room.

"Will, is that you?"

He turned around to see a familiar face. It was a lady, looking no older than sixteen. She was a brunette with straight hair that matched her cat like brown eyes. She had a heart shaped face that was pale as snow. She was quite small for her age but she had nice angled curves and nice frame.

"Pearl?" He asked, his eyes widening

"That's my name!" She smiled as he hugged her. Tessa couldn't help but feel a twitch of jealousy that spread like a quick fire in her heart.

"It's been so long" He said as they pulled apart. The girl looked at Tessa and Gideon with gleaming eyes.

"Tessa, Gideon. This is Penelope Brisette. Pearl, meet Tessa and Gideon." Will said as they exchanged hands.

"We're childhood friends when Will was eleven." She explained."I haven't seen him in so long."

"You look well. How is your family? Your brother?"

She waved her hand dismissively as she kept on grinning. "They're fine, don't tell but I've been contacting them." She said. Tessa remembered that shadow hunters weren't allowed to stay in touch with their former families.

"How are you?"She asked

"Fine, thank you for asking."

Tessa could tell that Will was trying not to have a discussion about his current life. She could tell it by the tightness of his voice.

Penelope's eyes averted to Tessa. "I haven't seen you around before." She said, looking her up and down. "Are you a shadowhunter?"

She knew the answer to this question well. She knew that she needed to address herself as a shadowhunter since demons and warlocks are not allowed inside unless they were summoned. In her clearest lying voice yet she said. "Yes, I recently just became one Miss. Brisette."

Penelope nodded."Please, call me Pearl. Everyone does." Tessa smiled in agreement.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as she peeled her eyes off of Tessa.

"The Clave ordered two representatives from each institute. If you are wondering what institute I am from, I live in Edinburgh institute, I was just transferred from the Madrid institute." She replied.

Will looked around, scanning the crowd. "Where is your other representative?"

"Please wait, I'll go find him." And with that, she disappeared into the crowd of people. In a few seconds she came back with someone that she was dragging along. Pearl tugged a boy that was quite tall than her with brown tousled locks. He had dull black eyes but he looked attractive in a way. He seemed quite puzzled with Pearl.

"Everyone, this is Isaiah." She introduced, she was still clinging onto him. "Isaiah, this is Will, Tessa and Gideon."

He tipped his hat politely. "How do you do?"

"He's my step brother." She informed. Tessa's assumptions dropped and her hopes crumbled.

Isaiah checked his pocket watch. It was silver with a rose golden carving on it, it looked stunningly beautiful.

"That's a lovely pocket watch you have there." Gideon complimented.

He smiled. "Thank you" and with that he closed the watch and put it back where it once held. "If I'm not mistaken the doors should open…."

Suddenly the heavy shadowhunter marked doors gleamed a bright blue before opening automatically. People huddled together as they went inside the meeting room but the five remained still.

"Now." He smiled as he gestured to the open doors. They went inside and said goodbye as they parted to take their seats. It was the same room that they had their last conference. The same chilly air, the growing tension and the high seats that looked upon the council, the Clave sat patiently in their seat with their hands on their laps, sitting perfectly still. They met Charlotte, Henry and Jessamine in their seats. (The first row)They sat down and said nothing as everyone else took their seats until the doors closed.

When they did, the one with the first seat and with a blue sapphire robe held up his hand. "We are brought here by the urgent request of Mr. and Miss Branwell of the London Institute. We are here to listen and to help. Anyone is free to object or to support." He glanced over to Charlotte. "Miss Branwell, please come to the stand."

Obediently, she stood up as she walked down to the stand where she was supposed to talk. In her hands was a small sheet of paper, Tessa could see how nervous she was, her hands were shaking so bad that she dropped the paper. When she reached it, she cleared her voice as she began to speak in her loud and projected voice.

"I wish to discuss to you all about the investigation that the London Institute is working on. This case is regarding of Axel Mortmain and his plans. And to assure you, we have been working hard to capture this evil man and bring him to justice.

"As promised, we have gathered evidence from Mortmain's Manor. We found this manor by the help of another fellow shadowhunter who is called Cecily Herondale, brother of Will Owen Herondale. We have searched through his property to find blueprints of mechanisms that he was working on. We believe that this has a connection to his clockwork army. We also found a journal containing a vital piece of evidence. It was a letter sent from Mortmain to Elizabeth Gray."

The room began to buzz with low murmurs. Tessa couldn't help but sink down in her seat as her face began to redden. Next to her, Will wanted to hold her hand to tell her that it was alright, but he knew that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Elizabeth Gray? Isn't that the birth mother of Miss. Tessa Gray?" Someone asked from the crowd.

"Yes." Charlotte answered, the buzz seemed to grow louder but she managed to project her voice even further."We have yet to uncover why Elizabeth Gray is linked to Axel Mortmain."

"Have you checked the Shadowhunter archive in the City of Glass?" The one is the emerald green robe holding an amethyst staff asked.

"We have." Will said as he stood up."It claims that Miss. Tessa Gray's mother is indeed a shadowhunter, but as we looked deeper into the files we have found nothing."

"Is that right Mr. Herondale? Nothing at all?" The one in the blue robe said.

"That's right sir." He answered, the one in the robe nodded as Will took his seat.

"Please continue Miss. Branwell." He said

She cleared her throat again. "While we were investigating our case we found a spy in our midst. It has been recording all of what we have learned." Her throat tightened, she knew that she was going to die of embarrassment right now, at this very spot. Murmurs filled the room, louder than the previous one. They (Henry, Jessamine, Gideon, Tessa and Will) could hear words like_."Spy? How unfortunate." "How could Charlotte let this one slip out of her hands?" "Where is Benedict Lightwood?"_

Charlotte swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "We have found the spy." She looked at Will who seemed to look painfully at her, but nodded in understanding. "The spy was Cecily Herondale

"But Miss. Herondale was not aware of this. While she was staying in Mortmain's manor he implanted a device that would use her body as a host so it could obtain information without making people suspicious about automen. But, the mechanism was also designed to hurt other people as well."

"Has it hurt anyone?" Someone asked in the crowd.

"Yes. 'she' has tried to injure Miss. Tessa Gray and the mundane servant Sophie Collins."

"I do not understand." The one in the yellow robe said. "You say that this device was designed by Mortmain and I understand that he wants Miss. Gray. Why would this device hurt Miss. Gray when his plot is to kidnap her? Why did the device also hurt the mundane too?"

"We believe that Mortmain is warning us." Charlotte said. "In a way, he is telling us to give up Tessa and lend her over to him unless we want our fellow friends hurt."

The man in the yellow robe nodded."That makes sense." He said. "Go on."

"When we knew of this spy, we had Brother Enoch remove the device from her. My husband examined it and found a tape recordings of our meetings along with other unimportant discussions. He has also found a tape recording with Mortmain's voice."She held up the small device to let everyone see, then she tapped the button and let the recording run.

_You have __**three**__ days shadow hunters. __**Three**__ days until the invasion starts, give up on your investigation, I have no weaknesses._

Then everybody started to panic.


	12. Genesis of the clock pt 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES.**

"An _invasion? _We knew that this would happen but why now?"

"Three days is not enough! We aren't ready yet!"

"Angel Raziel, help our souls!"

"Has his clockwork army outnumbered us that soon?!"

Charlotte bowed her head and tried to hide her reddening face between her papers. She had caused an uproar, something that had never started when she became the headmistress of the London Institute. But she was eternally grateful that Benedict Lightwood wasn't here, or else he would shame her into smithereens. The room buzzed with panicked questions, she caught occasional glances that were glued onto the shadow hunter doors even if it was against the Accords to leave the meeting hall if the conference was not done. She peeked a look onto the Clave, their faces were blank, no disbelief at all.

Then the one in the sapphire blue robe hit the floor with his wooden staff, sending the sound echoing across the room. Everyone went dead silent.

" Order! Order! Quiet!" He demanded until he heard now sound coming from anyone's mouth. When he was appeased, he rested his trusty staff beside his throne."Miss. Branwell, are you completely sure that Mortmain's invasion will happen in three days time?"

Charlotte straightened up and scratched her throat. "That's what Mortmain recorded sir."

He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whatever the case, we need to be alert." He looked at Charlotte "Search Mortmain's Manor again. This time be extra thorough on your investigation." She nodded as he gestured her to return to her seat. "I order every single representation of the institutes to plan the battle strategies. Discuss manners to take that evil man down.

"I want shadow hunters to monitor everything in their surroundings if it relates to this case, if there is a problem, please report to the Clave immediately." He ordered.

"I wish to call Mr. Fresco to the stand." The one in the golden yellow robe demanded. The whole room went silent while one person stood hesitantly, standing out from the crowd. Tessa turned around to see that the man behind her was –indeed- the one standing up. He looked nervous and a bit startled. His dark silver eyes glimmered in recklessness as he bit his lip. He moved a strand of his strictly blonde hair away from his face. He walked over to the stand slowly as he addressed himself.

"This "The one in the yellow robe said."Is the shadow hunter battle and strategy general of the Accords." He introduced."He will help you Miss. Branwell. The Clave and I will send more help to you if needed. As soon as you map out the battle plans, you must inform us. Is that clear?"

Charlotte shook her head in understanding. "Good" He said as he gestured Mr. Fresco to sit beside the London Institute members.

"Meeting Dismissed. You may head back to your quarters." The one in the green robe said, and with that the marked doors swung open as the people rose to head out into the blinding sunlight.

Tessa stood up as she followed everyone out of the meeting room. She looked over to Charlotte who was behind groups of people. She hid her face, wanting to hide her shame. Tessa couldn't help but feel guilty for causing such a mess, all of this to capture her. She felt as if she could just surrender in Mortmain's clutches as he towed her away, having the feeling that he would never hurt her loved ones again.

Tessa was losing herself in the packed crowd. She was separated from the others who were dispersed everywhere. She found Will ahead of her; she smiled regrettably as she pushed her way forward as she clutched his arm. Will turned his head as he smirked in understanding as he led them out of the stuffed hallway. She tipped her hat to her face, blocking out the blinding sunlight that obscured her vision. She let go of Will's arm only to hold onto his hand as he helped her onto the carriage. Gideon and Jessamine were there, but there was no sign of Charlotte and Henry.

Cyril came into her view. "I will go look for Mr. and Miss Branwell." He said "I will be right back" Then he disappeared in the sea of people.

Tessa looked over her shoulder to find Jessamine reading her novel; her head perched onto her gloved hand as her nose dug into the book. Tessa's hand floated to her purse, she still had her novel that Jessie gave her, unfinished and unwilling to read it again. Jessie turned away from the book to find that she was been staring at her.

"Have you been reading for the whole meeting?" Tessa asked

Jessamine turned her attention back to her book. "Of course, you know I hate listening to meeting like these."

She sighed as she watched the busy stream of people lessen and lessen. Then she found familiar pair of people walk over to their carriage, but it wasn't Charlotte and Henry.

"I will meet you all at the London Institute." Pearl said as her step brother smiled weakly at them. Then she saved a smile for Will as they disappeared from their vision. Tessa's blood boiled, Pearl seemed really nice but she had a feeling that she wouldn't grow fond of her.

In the last minute, Charlotte and Henry stepped into the carriage as Cyril closed the door behind them. "Sorry we had to make you wait." Henry said sheepishly as he took his seat. "We were caught in a _riveting _conversation."

The carriage jerked forward, heading back into the institute where a bunch of people waited for them.

.o0o.

When Charlotte opened the door, she felt as if the pause button on her heart was pressed. She sucked her breath in as she looked at the large group of people that were in the main hall of the institute. Every single representative, strategists, and other fellow shadow hunters were talking to one another as Charlotte took her first step forward. Sophie was standing with a tray of small goods. She blinked as she caught the image of Miss. Branwell and hurried over to her.

"Shall I escort them to the library?" Sophie said politely.

"No thank you Sophie, I will have a brief discussion with them here first." She said as she walked to the front of the groups as she clapped her hands. The group fell silent gradually as their eyes gazed over her. Will gazed over to the group, there were so many strangers that he would meet soon. Perhaps, maybe if he gained enough friends he would forget about his old, damaged life and possibly forget about Tessa. Among the crowd, he spotted Pearl and her step brother.

"Thank you all for coming, I'm sorry that we arrived late." She apologized "I know we have much to discuss, but first, it's quite important that we know each other since we will be spending some time together."

Jem walked up from behind Will and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good Heavens, I can't remember all of these names." He whispered, Will chuckled, "I'm afraid you have to, or else Charlotte or Sophie will scold you." He looked over to Sophie who caught his glance; she sniffed the air in disgust as she turned away.

"I would like you all to meet Henry –my husband- Miss Tessa Gray, Mr. James Carstairs, Mr. Will Herondale, Miss Jessamine Lovelace, Mr. Gideon Lightwood and she is not here right now, but her name is Miss. Cecily Herondale." All of them smiled as they said a quite hello.

Then the six of them merged together with the rest of the group. Trying to remember all of the different names that matched up with different faces.

"Hello, my name is Marko Livingsten."

"How do you do? My name is Benjamin Ride."

"Salutations, my name is Pippa Jerrel."

"Hello, my name is Peter what is your name?"

Before they knew it, their heads started to hurt from remembering all of their names, but they kept mingling. Tessa moved onto the next and the next and the next….

"Hello"

Tessa whirled around to see a middle sized lady behind her. She had short, curly hair that was almost red and she had welcoming pair of brown eyes. She smiled with her pink lips.

"Hello."Tessa said."My name is Tessa Gray. What's your name?"

"Lucy Emmadore." She responded as they shook hands. Then, behind Lucy was a tall man with a pair of friendly gold eyes.

"Dear me, I shall forget all of the names I have learned." He said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, For privacy reason, Tessa looked away until he was done.

"This is Harry Demeni." She introduced. "And this is Tessa Gray."

He leaned over and shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you" He said as he released his hand and rested it on her shoulder.

"H-He's my, my….my-"

Tessa smiled apologetically and held up her hand. "I know what you mean." She said. Then something caught her eye. On her left, she saw Will talking to…none other than Pearl. She couldn't help but see a glimmer of happiness sparkle in his eyes as they laughed and talked. Tessa turned away blindingly and covered her face. Her heart pounded inside her chest so loud that she was so sure that it was the loudest sound in the room. Why should she care what Will was doing? What did it matter to her?

"Alright, I think everyone should know everyone by now." Charlotte announced, a few snickers could be heard in the group. "We shall head to the Library to discuss our plans, Sophie-"She looked at her as she stepped forward in front of the group.

"Come with me." She said as she led the group down the hallways and corridors. Charlotte was busy talking with the other groups along side with Henry. Jem stayed with Tessa as he greeted her hello.

"I don't know why you had to attend the meeting with them." Jem said as he brushed his nose along the right side of her jaw, she shivered. "Then it would have been the two of us."

"And Cecily" She corrected, He chuckled softly as he wound his arm around her waist to pull her closer. "Yes, but the institute is huge for only three people in it." He responded.

She smirked. "And Sophie, and Bridget, and Cyril and-"

Jem cut her off with a long and deep kiss. She sunk in deeply as she tasted the sweetness of the _yin fen _on his mouth. Then at last they parted for air.

"I'm trying to be romantic." He said sarcastically.

"I know." She replied as they entered the Library. Charlotte thanked Sophie as she went out the other door. Charlotte led the group to a long study table where they were seated in chairs, with her in the front. Tessa and Jem took their seats as they watched everyone else take every single spot, not one chair available or needed. Will sat across from Tessa who was beside Pearl and Isaiah.

"Let's begin the conference." Charlotte said. "Let's start off with the possible location of Axel Mortmain. As the Clave said we need to thoroughly investigate the Ravenscar manor once again."

"We need to investigate the Florencal Manor as well." Someone chirped in. Tessa whirled around to see a girl that she met before –Pippa- call out."My institute has already searched for it like you asked but it doesn't hurt to re check it."

"_The Golden Pirate _too." Someone named Marko said. "One of my members spotted him drinking himself crazy in there."

"Very well." Charlotte said. "Is there any other place that Mortmain was spotted in?"

"HaleDale abandoned inn."

"Crescentue office building."

"I spotted him near a park not far from here."

"We better have different people investigate each place instead of the same people." She said, everyone nodded in agreement. "Will, Jem and Isaiah will cover the Florencal Manor. Jessamine, Gideon and Caleb will cover _The Golden Pirate. _Marko, Pippa and Harry will cover the HaleDale abandoned inn, Lucy, Fionna and Sam will over the Crescentue office building, Spencer, Angelo and Gavin will cover the park and Tessa, Pearl and Peter will cover the Ravenscar manor." She ordered. "This way we can investigate in different ways and possibly find different things. If you need directions where to find your place, you shall ask the people who investigated it first. We will start first thing in the morning."

Will looked hesitantly at Tessa. He didn't want her to go into the Ravenscar manor because he knew it reeked with danger, even though Pearl was with her. But he felt as if he should go with them, just to make sure. Will and Jem didn't know that they thought the same thing about Tessa.

"Body guards." Pearl said suddenly, then she looked at Tessa. "Axel Mortmain is looking for her right? Then it's sensible that we need some authority to make sure she's safe."

Charlotte gave this some thought. "Well, we should all be keeping an eye on Miss. Gray." Tessa couldn't help but blush. "But, if she ever wants to go out, someone must accompany her." Her eyes set on Jem.

"Jem, you will escort her whenever needed." He nodded as he placed a hand over Tessa's in assurance.

"But, if Jem is not around. We will need a substitute."

Tessa closed her eyes and prayed: _Please let it not be Will, Please let it not be Will._

"That is where you will step in Will."

Of course, her prayers and pleads were never answered. For the rest of the afternoon, they spent discussing over plans regarding about Mortmain and safety, Tessa's ears were drowned in her own thought rather than the conversation. She couldn't believe the fact that the invasion would happen in three days time, and it was certainly not enough time to cover everything. She hoped that he was bluffing.

But as the conversation deepened into discussions about Mortmain, Tessa couldn't help but feel responsible for everything.


	13. Expect the unexpected

**Hey guys! :)**

**Sorry that it took me so long to update, I went on a overnight school trip, and then other things that got in the way of the story. :P I'm listening to a lot of songs that relate to Will and Tessa, and I can tell you guys that I am a glass case of emotion. I'll try my hardest to update ASAP.**

**Hope u like the chapter :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

Tessa couldn't bear to hear the laughter.

She closed the book so forcefully that its thud echoed through the library. She aggressively shoved it into an open space in the shelf as she turned her back to the bookcase and leaned against it. Her heart was pounding as it seemed grow smaller and smaller with anxiety and stress. Tessa closed her eyes as she turned her head to the ceiling as if she was drowning her tears by gravity. She clutched the shelf behind her with her fingers for support.

Usually, the library was home base to Will and her, and now it welcomed another. She learned that Pearl liked to read. In a confusing way, it upset Tessa. Now, right in this room, she could hear Pearl and Will's laugh fill up the deadly silence in the room. They were bookshelves away from her, and maybe they didn't know that Tessa was in here, listening to them read aloud from books that she and Will would always fight or compliment about, she refused to let the idea of her being jealous be the reason why she was acting like this.

She could be jealous, it would explain her behavior. But whenever she saw Will and Pearl together, she had this, overwhelming urge to have Jem by her side. Tessa also learned that she didn't like Pearl no matter how nice or kind she was to her.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed onto the doorknob and yanked the heavy library door and let it slam behind her. She smiled in satisfactory as the laughter stop suddenly.

She continued to walk forward, her mind was running with thoughts and her stomach still twisted into a tight knot. She raised her hand and placed it delicately on her belly, even though she had left the room she couldn't get that picture of them out of her mind. It would bother her all day. Tessa was so confused on why she was feeling this way, she couldn't care less what Will did, she was wanted to be married to Jem….._right?_

Meanwhile, as Tessa continued to pace around trying to decode her thoughts, Will and Pearl were on the floor reading a book together. It was one of their favorites when they were small, even though it was a children's book. It was a special memory, something that they could relive again as friends.

"I can't believe you used to like these sort of books when you were young." Pearl grinned as she flipped through the pages.

"You used to like them too." Will argued, she smirked as she closed the book and set it onto the carpet floor.

Pearl sighed as she leaned her head against the shelf. "I think we were too loud. Tessa slammed the door behind her."

They rested for a bit, silent for a moment. It was nice to have someone here, not married or in a relationship or anything. Just childhood friends, sticking out for each other, he smiled; it would be less uncomfortable for him whenever he saw Jem and Tessa together. But still, with Pearl beside him, he could never erase that sadness that seemed to freely eat his heart.

"Maybe after all of this you could come back."

He turned his face to look at her beaming eyes. "Come back?"

She closed her eyes and breathed. "Back to the place where we used to live. We could find your parents; perhaps meet our other friends if they haven't left the country…

"You'll be eighteen soon." She pointed out. "You might as well go at this age since next year you'll be out of here."

Will pursed his lips together, he never thought of leaving the institute before. He had always planned to piece back his family, and that was definelty a yes. The thought of coming home with Pearl sounded like a wonderful idea and she was right. When shadow hunters were eighteen, they were to be immediately shooed off from their institutes. Will couldn't help but giving the chance to come with Pearl.

"I don't know." He sighed as he looked at the small patterns of the carpet. She gave a sad smile as she stood up and wiped her dress.

"Tell me when you have your answer; I won't be mad if you say no." She said, she looked at the doors. Then at the grandfather clock "We should be going soon." She said as he rose up and began to walk out of the library with her. They were going to investigate the places that they spotted Mortmain, even though they had no luck trying to find him.

They met Charlotte, Gideon, Tessa, Jem and the others mingling in the main hall in their regular clothes (they just came back from training). They seemed ready to go, with their weapons strapped to their body, luggage at their side and newly drawn marks applied to their skin. A majority of them were going while some stayed at the institute doing other things that Charlotte ordered them to do. It looked as if they were a massive search party, going out into a dangerous and unreliable field.

Will turned around to see his sister limp towards him. She wasn't completely healed just yet; she was relying on a crutch to hold her balance while her ankle was wound up with thick white gauze. Iratzes were drawn carefully along the side of her chest, stopping at the top of her neck. She needed special healing iratzes, it was the kind that needed to be applied twice a week before finally healing. But, other than that she looked great. Will was so relieved that his sister was alright and more importantly that she wouldn't be doing any more harm to anyone else.

Her face was scrunched up into a cute frown of disappointment as she looked at the massive party of people behind Will.

"I want to come with you." She complained, she watched as brother mold a smirk in his smile.

"Not a chance." He said, he gestured to her crutch. "Have you seen the condition you're in dear sister? You look as if you rammed yourself into a carriage."

She hit the floor with her crutch and stuck out her tongue. "I'm fine Will, honestly. And if that's the only excuse why I can't go, that won't stop me from going." She argued as she pushed her way past him.

"I'm sorry, but your brother is right."

Will turned around to see Jem put his hand on Cecily's shoulder. Cecily's eyes narrowed at him unwillingly, and then to Will. She sighed as she put her own hand on Jem's as she took his hand away from her shoulder.

"I see that there is no point of arguing anymore." She said dryly."If all of you are preventing me from going."

"Play the piano." Jem suggested, Cecily showed a tiny crack of a smile. "I'll promise you that my violin playing with join your piano."

She turned around as she wobbled back into the hallway. She raised her hand in a goodbye wave. "You are indeed right Mr. Carstairs. I have yet to see if the rumors of your violin playing are true." And with that, she disappeared. Will let out a breath and he ran his fingers through his hair. "Thanks Jem."He nodded as Charlotte came over and clapped her hands to gain attention to the crowd. The conversations died down as they looked at Charlotte.

"The carriages have arrived. "She announced, she gestured to the open institute doors that had six carriages outside. Cyril and other coaches were standing by the stairs as they waited patiently for them to come over.

"Cyril will introduce your group to your carriage." She explained. "I hope that Angel Raziel protects you on your trip. I expect you all to come back with something." After Charlotte was done talking, everyone picked up their luggage and made their way out of the institute, Sophie, Bridget and Cyril helped. Along with the other maids and butlers. Tessa couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline course through her veins. All of her shadowhunter training led to this. Her first mission, she couldn't help but feel a mix or worry and excitement bubble up inside of her. She watched her small luggage bag being tucked away in the carriage; Pearl and a boy named Peter were already seated. She took her seat quietly as she gazed onto the other groups of people board their carriage. She wasn't excited to be seated next to Will's childhood friend, she felt so uncomfortable.

She watched Jem come up to the carriage door. She sighed as she stood up again and stepped out to meet him.

"Your first shadowhunter mission." He said excitingly, she smiled warmly at him; Jem leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Be safe alright? I don't want you bandaged up when we meet each other again."

"As do you." Tessa replied as he pulled her into one last embrace before saying goodbye. She huffed her breath as she started to go into her carriage, then she caught a glimpse of Will coming towards her. Automatically, she straightened up and her hands moved to her hair. She hissed at herself for being so obviously flirtatious. Luckily, Will didn't seem to notice. Then she rolled her eyes, maybe he wasn't here to chat with her, maybe he was going to see Pearl.

"I shall fetch Pearl." She said uncertainly, turning around.

"Wait, I don't need to talk with Pearl." He said. Tessa stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly. "I need to…remind you of something."

Tessa anticipated a 'good luck' or 'stay safe' but instead he said:

"Don't get into any trouble." He said, there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice, he sounded dead serious. "You're good at that."

Her eyebrows rose and she scowled. She turned around again to reach up and grab the carriage door knob…"Good luck to you too Will."

"Would you like to know something?" He asked suddenly, Tessa's interest spiked but she remained where she stood, silent.

"I don't approve of you going with us." He said "You just….you are just so _fragile."_

Tessa scowled even further. "I'm perfectly capable of coming. I have trained sufficiently enough."She fired back.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean _Mr. Herondale?" _She bit her lip; she knew that she had gone too far calling him Mr. Herondale. Tessa was just so…angered and confused by him. She seemed to be building up walls between Will and her.

Of course, Will was taken aback by the use of his last name."I-"He started, and then he regained his composure. "I'm just…worried about you Tess."

She jumped at the sound of her nickname. Something that Will hasn't called her in a long while, she blushed but her face remained toward the carriage. She opened the door and slowly began to go in.

"Thank you for your concern Will." She murmured, it touched her that he actually cared. She could hear Will leave for his carriage, then she could hear her heart beating as she sat quietly in her seat. Tessa knew that she would be thinking about that little conversation between her and Will throughout the whole ride. Even the slightest word with him sparked a flame in her veins. Pearl smiled at Tessa as the carriage jolted forward, the starting of Tessa's new adventure.

She kept a book with her as she waited in the carriage, it seemed so wrong to bring a book that held so many memories of one that she wanted forget. But, it was an unfinished book, and a good one at that. Tessa felt guilty leaving the unread pages behind. Tessa took out her book and flipped through the pages to stop on the one with the fold in the corner. After smoothening out the crease of the corner with her fingers, she began to read. She relaxed a little; she kept the curtain out of window so that the sun could kiss the pages of the book. Sometimes, as minutes ticked by, Tessa couldn't help but hear Will's voice narrate the story, feel his breath tickled her skin.

The carriage ride was simply a long one, tiring and uncomfortable. Extremely hot too, which was odd because it was cold out. The sun made its unusual appearance as it shone brightly onto the black carriage. Tessa and Pearl fanned themselves, they were sweating bullets in their evening dresses. Peter sank down in his seat and tilted his hat as their envious eyes glared at him.

In a few minutes or so, the ride halted to a stop. They waited until Cyril got off the carriage and opened the door for them. The cool, crisp autumn air blew softly on Tessa's skin, she shivered in delight. It felt so good. She glanced at Pearl, who seemed to also welcome the nice air. They hopped off the carriage and took their luggage out of the carriage. They thanked Cyril as they joined the massive groups of people boarding onto the train with their tickets in their hands.

Fortunately, the train ride was fairly comfy and smooth. Tessa began to really relax, leaning her sore back onto the leather seats with a book and a cup of warm tea in her hands…

"I reckon that is earl gray tea you're enjoying miss."

Tessa looked surprisingly at Peter before taking a sip. Pearl smiled as he folded his arms.

"Mr. Crade is quite the tea aficionado." Pearl informed, Peter smiled back modestly.

"Nonsense." He said. "Amateur if that's what you are trying to say."

"Do you like tea Mr. Crade?" Tessa asked as she took a sip from her cup.

"Please, call me Peter." He said. "I do like tea Miss. Gray, ever since I was small."

The train bumped across the tracks, she could hear the silent noise of the rails clicking. It was a relaxing sound to her ears.

"I wonder what time we will be arriving at our destination." Tessa wondered.

He checked his pocket watch."In a couple of hours." She nodded in response.

"Where are we staying for the night?" Pearl asked

"Lady Esther's manor." He replied. "Her place is quite near the residence of the Ravenscar manor, what an advantage."

Pearl nodded as she turned her attention toward Tessa. She felt wary to speak to her; she clutched her book and straightened up.

"How do you feel Tessa? I hear this is your first time on a shadowhunter mission." She fired off.

She sighed as she slowly started off with her answer, she didn't really want to talk much. All she wanted to do is sit back, sip her warm tea and finish the rest of the book, and now, that idea seemed out of reach. She didn't want to be rude though, so she reluctantly went on with Pearl's questions.

To Tessa's delight, the train whistled and stopped. She looked at the window to find that they stopped at the station, full of people here and there. All of them rose from their seats and picked up their luggage. They exited out of their car and continued down the narrow hallways. Traffic was buildings up in the corridors and it was suddenly claustrophobic. She kept her eyes on Pearl and Peter, trying to get past fat ladies and fragile little boys and girls to keep up with them. Finally, they made their way out of the train and onto the almost empty station. They found a tall man with an elegant tail coat and top hat running towards them.

"Are you Miss. Gray, Miss. Brisette and Mr. Crade?" He asked pleasantly.

They nodded as he picked up the heavy luggage. "Lady Esther is expecting you." He said. "Follow me."

Once again, they were seated on another uncomfortable carriage ride; only this one was twice as short as the last one. Tessa watched in fascination as they headed into a green valley, full of fog and trees. It looked rather wet and damp outside. The fog clouded the window as Tessa rubbed a circle off so she could see.

In a few minutes, a huge castle like mansion came into view. Stone walls, French doors and windows, a big pond with lilies in the middle and huge, mint colored willows that danced in the damp wind, it was something out of a story book. When the carriage rattled to a stop, the man helped them down and carried their luggage into the huge manor. When they entered, they found themselves in a huge foyer. A gigantic chandelier in the middle, cascading, spiraling staircases that were made of state-of-the-art marble, a lookout balcony on the top floor and a wide, Persian rug at their feet. It was the type of Manor that a prince and princess could live in.

"Ah! My guests!"

Their eyes averted to a figure descending down the left staircase. When she came closer, Tessa could make out a lady with sharp, angular face features with wide hazel eyes. Her golden ringlets bounced around whenever she moved, she wore a fairly tight dress that had white lace trimmings and extra poof in her sleeves. She looked like an older version of Lady Belecourt.

"Please, come to my dining room for tea and biscuits." She said as she began to lead the way. "You poor dears must be famished after a journey like that!" They stopped at an oversized dining room that was ten times as huge as the library back at the institute.

Lady Esther clapped her hands. "Miss. Weather!" She summoned as one of the maids hurried to her aid, she was smaller than Sophie and her white cap was tipped to hide her face. "Prepare some tea and biscuits for our guests quickly; I don't want them to wait." The maid curtsied as she hurried into the kitchen.

Lady Esther gestured them to the green couches. "Please, have a seat."

Pearl shook her head. "Thank you for the offer my lady, but we need to be getting ready now."

She frowned. "Is that so?" she said. "At least stay for the tea and biscuits." Lady Esther tapped her long fingers on the couch. "I'm so sorry that I didn't catch your names earlier…"

"My name is Penelope Brisette; this is Peter Crade and Tessa Gray." Pearl introduced, Lady Esther's eyes were glued onto Tessa, and she gulped.

"You're awfully skinny to be a shadowhunter." She stated, the tops of Tessa's cheeks flamed. She looked to her side where she caught a glimpse of the maid hurrying over to them with a tray full of treats. She was surprised how fast she was. The maid settled the tray down on the coffee table as she carefully began to pour the hot tea into the tiny tea cups. She watched as she put each cup onto individual saucers, she handed the first one to Tessa.

Lady Esther seemed to drop the subject about Tessa. "It is pleasure to meet you." She said warmly."It doesn't matter if you can't stay for now…." Then her eyes lit up."…because I will be hosting a party when you get back! You are all invited!"

Pearl spat out her tea. She hurried to regain her posture as she wiped the spilled tea on her mouth with a white napkin. "T-That is incredibly generous of you my lady, _but we will be only staying for one day."_

"Nonsense." She said swiftly. "Nobody is too tired or in a hurry to party. Besides, it is my nephew's birthday today, and it seems unkindly of me to not invite my guests who are staying for the night. I would rather have you dancing the night away than having you all sleep the night away…with noise downstairs."

"But we do not have the appropriate attire for such an occasion-"Peter started, she raised her hand.

"What a little problem to be overly worried about." She said. "I will have my maids and butlers find suitable clothes of your liking."

"We don't know anybody-"

"Again, what a little problem to overly worried about. I have connections you know." She said. "I know people who are letting your shadowhunter friends stay at their manor…"

Tessa quietly whistled. This woman was really persistent on letting them attend the party, and she was _really _good at it. She was impressed.

Pearl sighed. "I see that you are not taking no for an answer." She said. "Very well."

She clapped her hands in excitement. "Splendid!" She exclaimed

Peter checked his watch."We better be getting ready now. Thank you for your hospitality Lady Esther."

She smiled as she waved her hand dismissively. They followed the maids and the butlers to their rooms, and of course, all of their rooms were equally twice as large as their ones back home. Before Tessa could enter her room, Pearl caught her shoulder.

"Just out of curiosity, are you wearing that to the Ravenscar manor?" She asked. Tessa looked down at what she was wearing. She nodded slowly.

"You're joking." Pearl said."You can't fight with layers and layers of fabric on you, it will slow you down."

"Then what should I wear?"

Pearl took her hand."Come with me." She entered her room as her hands flew to her suitcase as she rummaged through it to find what she looking for. In a few seconds, she managed to pull it out. Tessa's eyes stared at it.

"It's still a dress." She stated.

"Not now." She unclipped the dress from waist down as the heavy crème fabric fell to the floor. Now the corset was attached to a pair of skin tight trousers, specially made for women. Tessa gaped at it. Pearl grinned at her expression as she clipped the dress back on and handed it to her. "Here, you can have this one." Tessa went into her bathroom and slipped it on, it felt like her old training clothes: the same freedom, and the same feeling of nakedness. She stepped out of the bathroom to find Pearl dressed into something different.

"Thanks." She mumbled as she grabbed her boots and tugged them on. She tied her long, curly hair in a ponytail. She dusted her herself as she faced the mirror. Tessa unclasped the thing holding her dress as she watched it fall down to the ground. Now, she really did stare at herself. She didn't look like man like when she was in her training clothes; she had the corset on to make her look more feminine looking. She looked, she looked-

Fairly badass.

It was the trousers, the boots and the ponytail that did the trick. She bit her lip at the thought of Will and Jem coming into the room, eyes widening as they tried not to look at her legs. She clipped back the dress as she and Pearl headed off with weapons at their sides.

Peter was waiting for them in the foyer; he still looked the same, trousers and the white billowing shirt. He was missing his tailcoat and his hat.

"Shall we go?"

**.o0O0o.**

When they arrived at the manor, Tessa and Pearl managed to peel off the heavy fabric off of them. Pearl couldn't help but laugh as Peter loosened his collar and swallow the lump forming in his throat.

Instead of entering from the entrance, they decided to enter from one of the large windows. Carefully, Pearl drew a rune with her trusty steel as the latch coughed with smoke as it creakily opened. They were In the foyer, marble floors and staircases with a chandelier hanging from the top, bookshelves, tables and chairs aligned on the east and west walls, it wasn't as big as Lady Esther's manor.

They decided to split up so that they could investigate faster and more efficiently. Truthfully, Tessa didn't want to be alone, but she knew it was for the group. She gripped her seraph blade. (**A/N **Yes, she can handle a seraph blade.) In her hands as she slowly and stealthily made her way down and up the corridors of the east wing, she bit her lip in fright as it began to bleed. Her ears sharpened at any noise, her heart beating so loudly that she could barely hear herself think. Tessa wondered how it was like for Will, Gideon and Jem, exploring these hallways.

She kicked the doors open with such little force, to her surprise, all of them were open. The rooms were empty, only dusty beds and white cloth that draped over furniture. Her confidence increased as she covered more rooms, she wondered if Peter and Pearl was alright, she wondered if they found anything. Tessa prayed that she wouldn't be the first one to find anything; it would scare her to death, what scared her most is that if an automan or Mortmain himself jumped right in front of her and started to her attack her.

She was almost done with the east wing, she spotted another door to her left, only this time, and it was locked. Her heart quickened as she took out the stele that Charlotte gave her, with trembling fingers she drew a rune and the lock sizzled open. Before she entered, she built enough confidence and bravery and kicked open the door with the seraph blade pointed forward. When she expected nothing, she something that caught her eye, in the middle was a maid seated on a rocking chair. Her eyes were white as her body was limp against the chair. Tessa took in a breath as she advanced forward, the seraph blade pointed at her.

When she was convinced that the maid was dead, she lowered her blade and her guard.

_By the angel, that was probably the most stupid thing she had done in her life._

The body jolted forward as its spine eerily straightened up, its head cocked to its side as its white and soulless eyes peered into hers. Tessa screamed and fell back onto her bed.

"_I told you to give up shadow hunters. Mortmain sees your plans, surrender now and you shall not pay the price." _Its voice sounded like a bunch of other voices mixed together, it sounded robotic too.

"_I told you to g-give-give-g sh-adow-hunt-. M-Mort-Mort-Mort sees yo-ur Main-M , Surrendersurrendersurrenders urrender." _Then with that the automan blew into a puff of black smoke, Tessa coughed as she cautiously leaned over and kicked it to make sure it was 'dead'.

Pearl and Peter came bursting into the door with their weapons in their hands, their eyes peeled off of Tessa's as they looked at the puff of black smoke. Peter took his handkerchief and aired the room until, the smoke faded into little wisps.

"What happened?" Pearl asked. Tessa slowly got up to answer, her hands still shaking.

"I came in and I found an automan inside." She explained. Then she repeated the chilling words that it spoke.

At that moment, Peter loudly cleared his throat and looked at the girls. "Ladies, you better come see this."

They approached before him and knelt down. He passed them a small, pink note. "I found it in the automan's hands."

Tessa unfolded the paper and read as she looked into Peter's terrified eyes.

_You are invited to Lady Esther's grand Ball._

_It will be a night to remember!_

_~O~_

"What does it say?" Pearl asked warily.


	14. Game of catch and fall

**Things are getting more interesting huh? I'm trying to give my chapters a lot of depth, and when I mean depth, I mean more than 5,000 words long. **

**Hehe. :) :P Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

"Oh dear, is that true? What a bother."

Pearl, Tessa and Peter were in the dining room, eating a delightful and scrumptious dinner. The long, chestnut, wooden table was decorated by elegant décor: scented candles, arranged flowers, shiny silverware, and lustrous Chinese porcelains that you could see your reflection on the surface even if you were far away. Unfortunetly, the mood was destroyed when Pearl announced that Mortmain might be crashing the party with his automen guests, and Lady Esther wasn't a bit excited to hear such dreadful news.

"We will be guarding your party my Lady." Pearl added as she spooned her soup. "Hopefully, we will be able to hold off the invasion so that he does not disturb your guests."

Lady Esther sighed as she took a sip of her wine. "That's rather troublesome isn't it? I'm having my own guests help with the party rather than enjoying themselves."

"It's alright Lady Esther." Peter said in a comforting voice. "We don't mind. We are shadow hunters after all."

Tessa pushed her mash potatoes around. She was quite afraid to face Mortmain and another of his awful, mechanical inventions. Today was a scare, having that automan maid suddenly bolt up and speak chilling words that whispered into her ears.

"I'm such a terrible host." She cried as she beckoned one of her butlers to pour more wine into her awaiting champagne glass.

Pearl loosed the collar of her dress."Do you, by chance, have a big space that's locked?"

She nodded."Yes, the storage floor downstairs. Why?"

"In case Mortmain attacks your guests, we want them to be safe. We are hoping when that happens, we can put them in your, er, storage unit until the coast is clear." She explained.

"Very well, I hear the reason in your plans." She agreed. She rose from her chair as she dusted her skirts with a napkin. "The ball starts at ten o'clock sharp." She said informed them. "I will have my servants pick out your apparel when you get to your rooms, you must enjoy yourselves. My parties are something you don't want to miss." And with that, she disappeared out the doors with her maids following her.

Tessa rose from her chair. "She really is a party person isn't she?"

Peter laughed as he joined the girls as they went out the dining room. "She reminds me of my mother."

They said their goodbyes as they headed off into their rooms to get ready for the party. Tessa didn't want to dress up in a tight corset and have her face made up. She was tired and wanted to go to bed, even if Lady Esther would come barging into her room and drag her into the foyer to dance. She wasn't in the mood to get all formal too. When she closed the door, she found one of the lady's maids in her room. Her eyes fell onto the bed, where it held a mountain of dress selections. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. It was like dress shopping with Jessamine all over again.

"Shall we get started Miss?"

The hour ticked by as they tirelessly tried dress after dress. It was almost like a workout. Finally they found a dress that Tessa and the maid really approved of. She put on the ball gown as the maid tightened the corset strings. Her waist was being abused, being squeezed and outstretched to make that perfect curve. When the maid was done, Tessa turned around to face herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped a quarter of an inch. It was the most beautiful dress that she had ever seen, and it was probably the most expensive dress –that even Jessamine-could not afford. It was a light pearl green dress. Her shoulders were bare and the neckline was modest. There were roses, colored with a different hue of green that were sowed to where the décolletage was. The corset was beautiful too, golden flower designs were meticulously done and the dark ribbon strings that held the corset together. The dress from waist down was elegantly folded fabric with a bit of vintage lace here and there. Tessa's back was bare too; it reached all the way to her waist making a v shape. She wondered how beautiful Jessamine would look if she wore this. She could also feel trousers underneath too.

"We're not done yet miss." The maid said. "Sit" She pulled a chair and had Tessa sit on it. She pulled out a stele from her hand. Tessa shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"What are you doing?"She asked warily.

The maid laughed. "I'm not going to hurt you; I'm going to use it as a hot curling rod to fix your hair. The stele can hold many powers if you look at it from different angles." She put took a thick lock from her hair and wrapped it around the stele. She let it stay for a moment before withdrawing the stele. Out came a smooth, elegant curl that descended beautifully. In a few minutes, her hair was done. Tessa gaped at herself; her hair was so nicely done as it framed her face delicately. She reached her hand to touch her hair; it was silky smooth to the touch. The maid gathered her hair and put it on one side where it rested on her right shoulder.

The maid scurried to the drawer where she pulled out a cherry wood box. She opened it to carefully pull out a diamond necklace. Tessa jumped when the cold necklace touched her skin.

"I-I couldn't wear this." Tessa stammered.

"Nonsense." The maid exclaimed as she reached into the box and pulled out a pair of diamond earrings. She clipped them on and stepped back to let Tessa see.

The maid picked up Tessa's boots and handed it to her. "Come along, I think your shadowhunter friends have arrived."

"Thank you for helping me get dressed."

"Not a problem."

Tessa rose from her chair as she picked up her skirts and followed the maid out of her room. She could hear the people talking downstairs. She held in her breath as she tried not to trip in her dress. From the balcony, she spotted Jem and Will, her heart raced even more when she slowly began to descend the staircase.

She found Pearl talking to Isaiah. Pearl looked ravishing in her light violet dress, she looked like a princess. Her heart quickened as she continued to find Will and her fiancée in the crowd, well, if they were invited. Then, something gloved caught her hand. She whirled around to see Jem –dressed in his finest- gape in awe at her.

"Tessa-"He said breathily. "You look stunning."

She blushed as she looked down, she could hear the twinkling of her diamond earrings when she moved her head. "Thank you." She said "You look dashing Jem. Like always."

"I didn't think that you would be here." Tessa said.

Jem shrugged. "The professor in our Manor told us in the last minute that we were attending a party." He replied. "Ur, I mean forced to attend the party."

_Lady Esther didn't lie when she said she had 'connections'._

"Did you find anything?" She asked, gripping her clockwork angel

Jem sighed. "Nothing. It's rather disappointing."

She looked at Pearl from a distance, then back to Jem."You haven't heard…?"

He smiled wearily. "I've heard, everyone has. But, we're all prepared for Mortmain."

Then Tessa realized something, _if Jem was here, then Will must be here as well._

Someone came up behind Jem and put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear, he nodded as he looked sympathetically at Tessa.

"My apologies Tessa, I need to speak to someone at the moment." He bent down and took Tessa's gloved hand and kissed it. "You look beautiful Tessa, like you always do." Then, Jem disappeared back into the crowd.

Tessa wandered around to see other familiar faces. Unfortunetly for her, Lady Esther tapped her wine glass with her spoon to gain attention. Tessa was forced to turn around when she bumped into something.

"I'm terribly sorr-"

Her eyes widened as she met a pair of electric blue eyes. He turned around to greet her, but no words came out. Tessa couldn't help but look at his formal wear, he looked extravagant. Handsome times two. She could feel his heated gaze on her while his eyes traveled to her hair, her dress and then back to her face. She watched as his face grow red and the lump in his throat move up and down.

"I-" He started off. His pupils growing smaller as he realized that her back was bare.

To their relief, Lady Esther called their attention again with the spoon. The picture of Tessa's gown and herself in it was burned permanently in his brain. He cursed himself as his face grew redder and redder. Then he punished himself to a trip to the pub after all of this was over.

"Welcome to my party!" She exclaimed. "Please, make yourselves at home. I will ask all of you to stray away from the doors, I have more guests coming." When she was out of sight, the whole group of people moved forward into the foyer. Tables with white linen cloth were placed at the sides were it held treats on top. Tessa was surprised to see an orchestra seated on the far side of the foyer, playing lovely dance music. The party had already begun.

Charlotte called everyone to the left staircase to meet up. Henry was beside her, fingering a new invention in his hands. She projected her voice over the orchestra playing.

"I assume all of you have heard." She yelled."Mortmain will be crashing the party. In this case, we are not here to mingle, only to protect Lady Esther's manor. Disperse yourselves around the manor in pairs and report to us if anything seems peculiar.

"Tessa, you will stay inside with Fionna. Remember, the only thing that Mortmain wants is Miss. Gray alright?" Charlotte finished her yelled speech as the team scattered before the place got packed. Tessa was left with an average sized girl with brilliant blonde hair with freckles on her face. She wore a blue ball gown.

"Hello." She said. "I believe we haven't met before. My name is Fionna Sky, please, call me Fionna."

Tessa smiled. "My name is Theresa Gray but you may call me Tessa."

She gestured to the crowd of people filling into the grand foyer. "Aren't you going to a group of adoring gentlemen who would eagerly ask for your hand for a dance?" She giggled

She blushed. "I feel awful dancing while everyone else isn't enjoying themselves."

"Then shall we head to the punch bowl?" she offered instead.

"That's more like it."

They made their way out of dancing couples and into a seemingly vacant area where a table sat, holding small treats and a large punch bowl with champagne glasses neatly placed beside it. The orchestra was right behind them, blaring the dance music in their ears. Tessa took a glass and poured her own helping of juice, she took a long sip and stared at the people dancing here and there. It was dizzying to watch, especially the different colored gowns that flew around the dance floor.

Neither one of them left the punch bowl, and none of them stepped out to ask a gentleman for a dance or two…well, not yet. Tessa kept her eyes glued to the door, anticipating the moment when Mortmain and his automen come marching in. Occasionally, the orchestra would fade away from their former song into a slow song, meant for slow dances, and this would be the time when Tessa would keep her eyes on the adorning couples that swayed effortlessly together. The men had their hands wound around their waists as the ladies rested their hands on their shoulders, talking or laughing, or the sweet picture of a couple resting their foreheads on each others. It was nice to look at.

But, whenever she could look at them, she couldn't help but glance at her hand, the one that held the burnt scar. Her eyelids would droop and her fingers would start to curl in a fist. _Look at these girls, looking so happy, in bliss with a man who would adore them. I bet they don't have to choose. _She looked away as she put her hand behind her back. She took another sip of her punch, hoping she could wash the feeling away.

"May I ask for your hand in the next upcoming dance?"

Tessa looked up from her glass to see a brown haired boy hold out his hand. She set the cup down.

"I'm sorry, but unfortunetly I feel rather tired. Again, my deepest apologies." She looked over to Fionna. "My friend has been aching for a dance. Perhaps you could grant her wish?"

The man looked over to Fionna and held out his hand. She blushed as she met Tessa's gaze.

"I couldn't possibly…"

"It's alright Fionna. I can manage on my own." She said. "I need to go to the lady's room anyways."

Fionna hesitantly took the man's hand. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

The man took her hand gently as he whisked her away into the next dance. Tessa smiled as Fionna stiffened as the man wound his arms around her waist. She didn't really need to go to bathroom, she just wanted to be by herself. She picked up her skirts as she went upstairs, careful again not to trip on her ball gown. Upstairs had a lot of guests too, but it was less crowded than downstairs. She wandered around the corridors and hallways, exploring Lady's Esther castle like manor. She felt like a wandering princess.

She felt a cool breeze trickle on her neck. She looked to her left to see a huge balcony; its glass pane doors were open, welcoming her outside. She invitingly went in as she set her hands on the railing. London at night looked mysterious, melancholy almost. She stared at the vast darkness, breathing the fresh air through her nose.

"Enjoying the view?"

Tessa turned around to Will leaning against the glass plane door. She blushed as she quickly turned away, memories of her and him on the balcony at Benedict Lightwood's party. She prayed that he would go away and have let her have some peace.

Instead, he came forward. "Where's Fionna? You're not supposed to be outside."

She kept staring ahead. "She's dancing right now, can't a girl enjoy herself?"

"_You _should be 'enjoying' yourself. Fionna is supposed to be keeping an eye on you." Will corrected, she ignored the kick of adrenaline that ran in her veins when he was beside her.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping guard?" she asked.

He shrugged "Not really, there's quite a number of us here. I have three people on watch where I'm supposed to be. They told me to take a break."

She raised an eyebrow "A break? It's only been twenty minutes Will."

"Hey, it's a tiring job. It's quite a workout for the eyes."

"So you come _here_ to take a break. Rather than being swarmed by hundreds of beautiful woman, pleading for one dance with you?"

He stopped for a moment. Tessa bit her lip, she shouldn't have said that, at least, coming to the balcony part.

"I don't want to dance." He slowly said. "To tell you the truth, I didn't want to attend in the first place."

"And why is that Will?" she whispered.

His heart quickened as he tried to peel his eyes off of Tessa. In his eyes, she looked so beautiful, well, she was _always _beautiful. Her keen gray eyes peered at him, her pink lips pursed together. Her hair softly blowing in the wind as her creamy white skin prickled in the cool air. This was surely a test sent by Angel Raziel himself. As much he wanted to tell she was so beautiful tonight, as much as he wanted to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair, he couldn't. He couldn't do it anymore.

Her eyes peeled off of Will, but that didn't stop from the jumping nerves that sparked in her veins. Tessa clenched her fist as she kept her eyes on the horizon.

"Did you want to attend? To refuse the invitation of the overly optimistic Lady Esther?" He asked.

Tessa's eyes slowly lingered on her shadow, that blended well in the night. Did she want to come at all? "I didn't" She said simply. "I wanted to go to sleep."

He gestured to the open glass pane doors. "Sleep then. I don't think the Lady would mind if one of her rooms is occupied by one of her guests." In his eyes, she could see, perhaps, a tiny bit of regret of what he said.

Tessa turned around, was Will trying to get rid of her? She couldn't help but think that was the reason. "Well then." She said, as she started to walk out of the balcony. "Goodnight Will." She whispered.

She darted out of the balcony as she made her way back through the same corridors and hallways that she went through, she didn't want to go to bed just yet, not after a talk with Will. Tessa was going back to meet Fionna in the grand foyer. As she continued to speed walk while picking up her heavy skirts, she heard the sound of glass shattering and a blood curdling scream. Her eyes widened as she entered the lookout balcony.

By the angel, _they've _arrived.

The guests screamed as they began to run around, most of them charging upstairs. Automen were bursting through the windows, in big numbers at all. All of the people looked small compared by the large, moving robots mechanisms. They began to destroy everything in their path, and occasionally pick up a stranger in their iron grip and start to strangle them. Tables and chairs were being tossed over, numbers of bodies lay dead still on the ground, either dead or fainted. The orchestra abruptly stopped in an eerie squeal in the middle of their song as they dropped their instruments and fled into different directions. Tessa saw some shadow hunters, pulling out their trusty blades as they began to work of the automen, she saw Charlotte and Peter shouting orders as more and more of the automen came bursting in.

Then the front entrance burst open. On the doorstep was Mortmain, and beside him were normal looking people, surprisingly non-clockwork. Mortmain was in his usual clothes, gray tailcoat, dress pants with his gray hair sweeped back, Tessa could see a blood red rose placed in the breast pocket of his tailcoat. On his right was a woman, probably the same age as Tessa. She had curly red hair that reached up to her knees, a heart shaped face with menacing gray eyes. Only, her right eye was covered with a black eye patch. She wore a white corset with brown trousers, like the style that Pearl introduced to her. She wore leather gloves and in her left hand was a long red whip, Tessa shuddered to think that the whip's color was not originally red. On Mortmain's left side was a man. He had black hair, pulled into a small, stubby ponytail. His face was slender, almost like a triangle. There was nothing significant about him, but he did look sad, perhaps he was bored as well.

"I HAVE WARNED YOU TO STOP!" Mortmain's voice boomed."I HAVE WARNED YOU ALL TO SURRENDER TO MY NAME. BUT YOU HAVE REJECTED MY KIND OFFER, NOW YOU SHALL PAY THE PRICE!" He rose up his hands. "MY CREATION, ELIMINATE EVERY SINGLE SHADOW HUNTER YOU ENCOUNTER. MY ACCOMPLICES, FIND THERESA GRAY AND BRING HER TO ME!"

More automen burst out of the doors and charged into the foyer. Mortmain disappeared from Tessa's view as the red haired girl ran forward and began to work on a fellow shadowhunter. The bored looking male began to fight with an energized shadow hunter too, he looked sarcastically bored too. Tessa's feet and eyes were glued, she couldn't move.

Something caught her arm, she yelped as she turned around to see Will tugging her. "What are you doing?" He said. "You need to get out of here! Mortmain and his posse are looking for you!" He pulled onto her arm as he ran through the hallways and past screaming guests. Tessa didn't know what to say, finally she stood her ground, managing to stop. Will stumbled a little bit; he turned around and looked at disbelief at her. He tugged at her arm. "Tessa, we need to go-"

"No." She said as she tried to wiggle her wrist out of his iron grip. "I caused this mess. And I want to help fix it."

Will tugged her wrist forcefully as he pulled her closer to him so that he could make her look at him straight in the eye."You're being ridiculous, you haven't trained enough-"

"I have! Isn't that what the training was for? This is my fight too Will!" She said, well, basically screamed. Will didn't get to say anything because a loud clinking noise began to near closer to them. Then, Tessa could see a glimpse of metallic silver coming to them; it was one of Mortmain's automen. Will gripped tighter at her wrist as he dragged her through the hallways. It was hard to run in her skirts. Automen were all over the place and it hard not to bump into one. As they were running, Will could spot an automan marching toward them. When they started to go back, they found another one marching behind them. Will cursed as he let go of Tessa's wrist and pulled out a seraph blade from his coat.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice." He gritted his teeth as the machines came closer. At the left Tessa could see an open corridor, dark with no lights, but she could make out doors.

"Tessa." He whispered in her ear. "I'll distract them; you will run to the left corridor, there's a room there, with huge French doors. They'll never catch you there." He explained.

"No, I'm not leaving you." Tessa said as she clutched his arm as the automen came closer to them.

"If you want to help, you will go to the French doors." Will slowly explained again, it was more a demand than a suggestion. "I'll meet you there. I promise." He gently pushed Tessa away to the empty corridor. Tessa bit her lip as she took her first reluctant step before she could actually run. She turned her attention away from Will as she picked up her skirts and ran like hell. She bit her lip as she could hear the sound metal clinking together. To her luck, she didn't trip on the way there. When she got to the room that Will was talking about, she turned the doorknobs as she made her way inside. It was a large room with a grand bed in the middle. Another glass pane door led to another balcony, desks and chairs were in their spot and she could even see a vase full of fresh flowers, it was surprisingly clean.

She closed the doors as she sank to the ground, protecting the doors from any intruders bursting in. The moonlight lit the room; it was sort of comforting to have a bit of light in the room. She pulled her knees to her chest as she hugged herself; she buried her head in her hair as she rocked herself back and forth. She was trying to calm her heart down, it was still racing. Tessa was so scared that they would find her, she didn't want to go back to the dark sister's hideout where they forced her to transform, she didn't want to be isolated from the outside world just to shape shift. She hated her talent, she hated for what it did to her, and it was the reason why Mortmain was here in the first place.

Tessa really did want to fight; she didn't want to be the damsel in distress anymore. She didn't want to feel so helpless. She wished she had trained some more, she wished that she could had a stele with her or some kind of special blade, not just an ordinary hunting knife used to cut skin off of game. She left her seraph blade in her room and she cursed herself for it. She wondered if Will was alright, _by the angel if anything happened to him…_

Tessa covered her mouth from a scream when the door behind her jolted.

"Tessa, it's me."

She breathed a sigh of relief as she rose to open the door. Tessa found Will standing in front of her, his elegant tailcoat was absent, only his white undershirt was there, now covered his burn marks and cuts. His face had a bit of soot on it, and there was a long red cut on his cheek, in his hand was a dirty seraph blade. Tessa leaped into his arms as she wound her arms around his neck.

"Oh thank the angel." She said breathily. "I'm so glad that you're alright." Will put his arms around her waist as he pulled her tighter, he buried his face in her hair. They were in that embrace for a moment before breaking apart a few inches. Will stepped inside the room as he closed the door, still in the warm embrace.

"There's so many bloody automans outside." He said, there was a bit of laughter in his voice. "As tough as I am, I can't kill all of them."

Tessa smiled as their foreheads touched. They hadn't been this close since Will found out that Tessa was engaged to Jem, she was grateful for the moment. All the times they couldn't face each other, they could now be freely open to each other. Will began to loosen his grip on her waist as he began to slowly drift away; Tessa could hear herself inside say no.

"I'm going back out." He whispered. "You stay here. You **must **stay here." She could hear his throat tighten. "If anything happens to you…"

Her hands were twitching. She didn't want him to go. Tessa couldn't hold it any longer; she pulled Will against her in a knee buckling kiss. Tessa and Will were both surprised by her forwardness. The kiss was desperate, hungry and wild, everything that Tessa felt inside, more heartfelt than in the attic. She could hear Will's eyes close as his arms once again wound around her waist, trying to pull her closer to him. Tessa could feel his rough hands slowly trace the line of her spine on her bare, cold back. Her hands were pressed on his neck, trying to pull him closer somehow. The kiss grew long and deep, but still wild and hungry, as if they were animals, trying to devour one another. She could feel his hands gradually rise up her back to tangle his fingers in her hair, none of them willing to come up for air.

Then she remembered something, she lifted one hand and put it on the clasp holding her corset and her dress together, she gripped on it as she heard a faint clicking noise as the green fabric of her beautiful dress fall to the floor. Will didn't seem to notice. She took one of her legs as she wrapped it around his waist, hoisting herself up, clutching onto him for support. Soon, she wrapped the other leg around him to join its partner. Will groaned as he took Tessa and slammed themselves into the wall, creating a thud.

Tessa could feel Will's lips fierce on hers, his were burning hot to the touch, more than the holy water and blood back onto the attic. She knew that this was the last chance to be this close to him, a part of her made her not want to stop wanting Will, she could feel a tear escape, wetting both of their cheeks. She wondered if this was hers or his.

Slowly, very slowly, the kiss came to a gradual stop. Will unwound Tessa's legs as he settled her down. Tessa could feel their heavy breathing fill the silence in the room. They didn't break away just yet; their foreheads were leaned against each other as they kept their embrace locked. Tessa opened her eyes to see his hypnotizing blue ones stare softly at her. She couldn't read them; she wondered how he felt after the kiss, it was essential for her to know. But most importantly, how did she feel? She didn't know that either.

Will lifted his hand to touch her cheek, feeling her warmth spreading like a quick fire through his fingers. He caught a strand of her smooth, silky hair as he put it behind her ear. His other hand reached up and rested it on the surface of her chest, feeling the beat of her heart. It was pounding violently, he silently smiled, their rhythm of their racing hearts matched perfectly.

He slowly backed away from Tessa; he felt something tug on his heart as If there was a chain between them that was unbreakable. He picked up his fallen seraph blade as he turned to the door, with his trembling hands. What did her kiss mean? Why did he kiss back, knowing that she is not his? These questions began to take over his mind. He took a breath in before turning the doorknob to open to the French doors. He turned around to face her one last time.

"You have to promise me that you will stay here. You will never go outside without someone by your side." Will said, his voice strained.

Her eyelashes lowered as she took a hesitant step forward, her hands itching to touch him, wanting to grab onto his shirt and force him to stay with her. She nodded solemnly.

"Good." Instinctively, he stepped forward and captured her lips one more time. This time it was slow and unhurried. He wasn't supposed to do that, he didn't even think of kissing her again. He broke apart as he closed the door behind him. Tessa sank to the floor where she touched her lips with her fingers.

_I'm so confused. _She cried inside.

**Guys, I honestly tried my best with the kiss scene. I can truthfully tell you that I'm not a romantic, so I can't write **_**good**_** romance scenes. I mean, tongues and touching….that's just gross. (Well for me) As you can see, I have added new characters to my story! Who is Pearl? Is she Will's new love interest? Who are these new accomplices of Mortmain's? Are they important? Like all authors want their readers to do-guess on!**


	15. High rise problems

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

Tessa sat by the door in silence. The wind whistling by, the draping over the large bed was dancing along with it, the moonlight illuminating a portion of her face. It was quite in the room, pin drop silence. It wasn't exactly peaceful. Since most of action outside of the French doors was happening, and it kept replaying on Tessa's mind. She wondered if Mortmain or the clockwork machines would find her in here, a room out of a hundred rooms, in a dark, mysterious corridor. Her eyelids were drooping so heavily but she fought to keep them up. She was getting so tired, even though she did nothing at all. Her smooth, silky and elegantly curled hair started to go back to its original curl. Tangling it up as the wind blew softly on her face.

Her eyes rested upon the fallen green fabric that was part of her dress on the other side of the room. It looked like a carpet from where she was sitting. Her legs were getting rather comfortable in her trousers, and she could walk properly for once, so she didn't even think of putting the heavy fabric back on to its latch. She bit her lip as her fingers grazed over the small clasp that held her corset and the dress together, then her fingers touched a small patch of skin on her back. Tessa could still feel Will's hands run down her spine up and down, massaging her hair and her scalp, his lips soft and then hard on hers. She could still smell him whenever the wind blew towards her; she could feel the warmth on her chest when their bodies were knit together in that tight embrace and she could almost hear the words that she wanted him to say; even though she told him it didn't matter.

She was looking for answers. Why did she kiss Will? That was a question she couldn't answer. Before she kissed him, her body was twitching just because she wanted to be closer to him. Did she feel remorse? She wasn't sure; she couldn't feel anything but embarrassment right now. She now knew how it felt to be him when he thought he was cursed. Tessa knew that she would have to distance herself from Will more than ever. She couldn't keep from doing _things to him _anymore. In fact, she shouldn't be doing those things to Will, she was engaged and she didn't want to be the type to do affairs often, and perhaps, maybe it was hurting Will too. She wondered if Will regretted kissing her back, and she wasn't sure if she was angry at Will for kissing her or happy that he did.

She chose Jem right? She did say yes to him, she was overjoyed that she would be married to him; she was content to spending her life with him. There were times when she thought, instead of Jem it was Will who came first. Will proposed to her, and she would happily spend the rest of her days with him. But it was Jem she chose. It has to be Jem.

At the moment where she allowed herself to think, a voice echoed through the hallway beyond the door. Tessa's heart jumped as she got to her feet. But she stayed for a while until she heard it again. She rose from the floor and her hand flew to her thigh, where a hunting knife was strapped on. Tessa was upmost certain that she heard Jem's voice outside, and it sounded like a cry of help. Her back was faced to the door as she put her hand on the doorknob; she counted to three as she turned it. The door opened a quarter of an inch. She couldn't see anything, and it was not because of the darkness. She stood perfectly still until she heard his voice again.

A shriek echoed through the hallway. It was definelty Jem's. She took out her knife as she pushed the door a bit farther. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She promised Will that she would stay in the room until someone came. But she heard _Jem. _That had to be an exception. In a few minutes, she finally decided to just take a peek in the hallway and then if she couldn't see or hear him anymore she would quietly come back to the room as if nothing happened. She closed her eyes as she took in a deep, heavy breath before opening the door carefully and fully. When she was outside she closed the door again, to assure Will if he ever came by. As stealthily as she could, she speed walked down the corridor, gripping the handle of her knife in her hand. When she got to the end of it, she crouched down and listened.

She heard Jem's scream again. Tessa had to go and rescue him, even if Will was probably going to kill her. Tessa went through the hallways carefully as she spun her head, trying to look for him and follow the screams. _Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright._

When she got a bit of confidence walking through the hallways –Lady Esther's own maze- she started to call out his name, growing eventually louder.

"Jem?" She spoke warily as her walk speeded faster. "Jem?"

Tessa heard another scream as she began to run. Calling out his name desperately. "Jem? JEM?" When she was about to turn to enter another hallway she saw a big chunk of moving metal coming at her. It was an automan. Its head lifted up as its charcoal eyes stared soullessly at her. Mortmain disguised it as a lady, dressed in casual garb. Its mouth opened to speak. Tessa's breathing got rapid as it neared closer to her._ This is what the training is for._

"I-will-bring-you-to-the-magister." It said, its voice quite deep for a lady's, almost sounding like a man's

_This is my fight too. _Tessa reminded herself as she charged to the automan with the knife in her hand.

She managed to block the automan's first attack. It jolted downright as it adjusted itself and straightened up, she tried kicking it in the face but all it did was put a dent in it, and possibly a u shaped bruise on her ankle. Tessa ducked as its arm flailed over her head. She managed to sink the knife in its side but that didn't do anything, she retrieved her weapon as she continued again. The horrid machine began making blubbering sounds as Tessa tried to knife it in the back. One of its arms detached itself as it flew to strangle her throat. Instead it caught her arm, it winded up on her arm and it struggled to move. Tessa took advantage of it as she used all of her force to turn her arm so that the automan could hit the ground. To her luck, it crashed to the ground. She unwound its arm as she put her right foot on its chest. Its arms, legs and the head moving around violently. Tessa saw wires and clockwork parts buried underneath the head and its neck, she put her hand on its forehead as she pushed it to the ground. She used her knife to swiftly dig out the mechanisms out, making a shrieking sound. She watched as the automan slowly twitch away and the sparks of flame flying in the air. And then, it stopped.

Then she continued her search to find Jem, panting as she ran through the corridors. As much as she wanted to rejoice after killing her first automan, she couldn't, not right now. She wondered if there was ever a point in her life if she needed to kill an actual living and breathing human being, or a shadowhunter. She hoped that she would never face a demon, since they had deadly skin, razor sharp teeth and poisonous saliva.

As she ran, she could hear the voices of other fellow shadow hunters and clockwork machines ripple through the corridors of the manor. She wondered if Jem was in the grand foyer right now, slicing the robot creatures seamlessly. But she needed to know that he was alright. She finally came onto the lookout balcony where she could see a mess of clockwork gears and bodies littering the floor. Her eyes scanned down, trying to find a familiar silver haired boy. Then she spotted him near the left staircase, sitting down with one of their friends who were staying at the institute. She could see a patch of red on his leg. The fellow shadowhunter was touching his leg as he screamed in pain. Tessa froze, was that why he was screaming? Because someone was tending his wounds?

Other than that she was relieved. She turned around to go back to her room, and hopefully Will hasn't checked up on her yet. She could go to the room not having the feeling of being that weak damsel in locked castle. She was beginning to feel like a hero.

As she began to walk back, her eyes blinked to a streak of red that flew by. And there, right in front of her, was the red haired lady that was beside Mortmain. Her eye glimmered with evil pride as she gripped her whip. Tessa couldn't believe she was on his side; she looked like a princess with the hourglass figure and flawless facial appearance. It was ruined by the black eye patch she was wearing. Tessa held in her gasp as she took a step back.

"Mortmain ordered us to find a small, weak, defenseless little girl." She said, her voice sounded like melting caramel. Clear and smooth. Then she looked sharply at Tessa, smiling at first, and then her lips pulled into a frown. "Oh, that's right. Her name is Tessa Gray." She said in a hurtful tone. "I believe we haven't met our acquaintances fully. My name is Juliette." She said, she tossed her long red hair back. "We are going to spend an awful lot of time together."

"What a prize, I found you first." She said slyly. "Sergei will be jealous of me." Tessa's eyes wandered off to her whip, Juliette seemed to notice her. "Do you like it? It's made out of _Gadabyarus _demon tail. I made it myself."

"What do you want?" Tessa's teeth gritted as she held onto her knife. Juliette just simply ignored her.

"It's poisonous you know." Tessa flinched as she gave it a little flick. It whacked onto the floor, a sizzling noise erupted as the carpet on the floor had a burn mark straight down the middle. "Would you like another demonstration?" She said devilishly. In a blur, she suddenly was on the balcony rail in a crouched position. It reminded Tessa of a cat; she had reflexes of a cat.

"If I go away then you can go back to wherever you came from. No one gets hurt." Tessa said slowly, Juliette gave out a small, enchanting laugh.

"Don't you know that the magister owns you? Silly girl."

"I'm **not **his." Tessa sharply clarified. "And I don't want to come with him."

"You're blunt aren't you? It doesn't matter if you _want _to. You _have _to." She said, and then she turned her head to the clock. "Oh, it's already midnight. Girls like you need your rest." Then she snapped her fingers. "We prepared a nice shackle bed for you."

"What-"Before Tessa knew it, strong arms held her back into an iron grip. She tried to wiggle herself out but it seemed impossible to even move around.

"Meet Sergei." Juliette introduced as she hopped off the rail to be in front of Tessa. "He doesn't talk much, but he's help. Even though I tried to convince the magister that I could capture you myself" She yawned as she beckoned Sergei down the stairs. "Quite tired."

Instinctively, before Juliette could move away, Tessa somehow jumped up and kicked her in the knee. Tessa could sense that Sergei was startled and this gave her a chance to wiggle free. Juliette screamed in pain as she spit out horrible curses at her.

"Bitch." She snarled. "You'll pay for that." She gathered her whip as she striked it down, just in time, Tessa managed to avoid it. Instead, the whip lashed out onto the carpet again, creating yet another burnt mark. Juliette began to furiously lash her whip around, trying to get her. Tessa just dodged them, she couldn't hold Juliette's weapon back without having her knife sizzle and cook. So she tried to move in closer to gain some leverage, trying to slice her waist or hopefully her face. Something that would throw her off balance, Tessa couldn't deal with Juliette as she did with the automan; this was a real living person. She managed to duck a whip attack and swiftly cut a fine line on her waist, it wasn't a deep cut, but it she did flinch a bit. Tessa had to get away; she knew that she couldn't fight someone as good as Juliette. Without any thought, she ran to the staircase as she slid down the rail. She screamed as stumbled on the ground floor. She had to carefully blend herself with the crowd as she looked for something or someone. Tessa found a fellow shadowhunter on the ground, unconscious. Beside him were two, wicked looking seraph blades. She grabbed them as she whispered thank you as she carefully advanced forward to the opposite staircase. Tessa looked at the balcony; Juliette and Sergei were no longer there, so she assumed they were on the same floor, looking for her.

She searched in panic to find at least someone that she knew, but amongst the chaos, she couldn't find anybody. She saw another glimpse of red hair as she darted toward the opposite staircase, if she couldn't find anybody, then she would have to fight Juliette herself. To her luck, she was almost up the staircase when she saw a brilliant flash of red blur her vision. She was faced yet again with her new enemy. She smiled as she snarled, she lashed her poisonous whip at her with such force that Tessa stumbled back. She regained her balance as she ducked another lash as she managed to hit her again with one of her seraph blades, even though she had no idea how she did it. Juliette screamed in pain again as her lashes became more violent. Obviously, Tessa needed a new tactic to get rid of Juliette.

Instead of using her whip, Juliette crouched down to kick her, trying to aim for her feet to make her fall down the stairs. Tessa dodged it but as Juliette came back up she lashed at Tessa, she screamed in pain as the burnt mark crossed her neck in a vertical line. It throbbed as Tessa forced herself it stay awake. Juliette saw this as an advantage and lashed at her again, this time she caught it with her seraph blade, wrapping the whip up. The seraph blade didn't burn; it was probably blessed by one of the brothers. Tessa twisted her wrist as she yanked the whip sharply out of her hands. Juliette shrieked in pain as she opened the palms of her hands, they were coated in blood. With the whip still around her blade she was finally able to somehow escape. She looked ahead of the staircase and saw Sergei come slowly at her, his face expressionless as he held another wicked looking blade. She looked back and saw three automen come at her. Juliette was starting to regain her balance. Tessa started to panic, _what should I do now?_

Then she looked to her left and saw the huge diamond chandelier. She clenched her fists and gave herself an imaginary face palm. _This is going to be the most stupid thing I've done in my life. _Before everyone walked closer to her, unclosing her into a tight space she leaped onto the rail and jumped with all her might. She screamed as her arms flailed in the air. Then, her feet landed in a thump. Tessa couldn't believe it, she was on the chandelier and nothing bad happened to her, she wouldn't die just yet. Pain shot up her legs as she silently cried, she couldn't possibly jump over to the other side. As she began to brainstorm what to do next the chandelier swayed left to right. Tessa's hand grabbed one of the chains holding the chandelier, to her disappointment, Juliette managed to get on as well and to give her more unfortunate news, and she dropped her whip. Juliette smiled devilishly as she picked up her weapon with her bleeding hands.

"Bravo." Juliette said, but she didn't say it joyfully. "I guess you aren't completely useless after all, but you fight like a baby."

"You may think of me as 'small', but I have quite enough of courage to finish you off. " Tessa said harshly. She gripped her blades as Juliette moved closer to her.

"What a thing to say to _your sister."_

Tessa was taken aback; she almost fell out of the chandelier. Her eyes widened as her face whitened. _Sister? _There was no way that she could be her sister. Tessa didn't have any siblings, and she would've known because if she had any they would be living with her and Nate in Aunt Harriet's apartment. She certainly didn't look like Juliette, with the red hair and all except the gray eyes. She was also certain that she didn't sound like Juliette; did she have the same attitude as her? Hopefully not. If she was indeed speaking the truth, would she be overjoyed? Maybe she could ask her who Tessa was and finally giving her the answer that she needed, and maybe questions about her family. She wasn't sure on both accounts.

Juliette smiled wickedly as she lashed out her whip. Tessa was withdrawn from her thoughts as she tried something else to get Juliette off the chandelier. She kept on blocking her lashes, as she still tried to knife her in the gut once more but she was careful of that now. The chandelier moved dangerously from side to side. They both could hear the decorative glass fall and crash to unsuspecting victim's head below.

"Tessa! Over here!" Someone called, Tessa froze for a moment and turned her head to see the person that she dreaded to see right now. It was Will, looking furiously at her right now. He looked overly worried as well.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled. Tessa grunted as she took an unplanned step backwards.

"I'm so sorry Will!" She yelled back as she returned attention to Juliette. She stepped quickly to the side as her whip threw to her left as its tip hit the chain, making a spark. Then Tessa had an idea.

"Get away from me." She warned Juliette, stepping back a couple of inches.

"Tessa don't! You're going to fall!" Will cried, Tessa simply ignored him as she watched Juliette take a step forward toward her, an evil grin sweeped onto her face.

"He's quite a catch." Juliette said slyly as she licked her lips. "It's too bad he has to babysit you twenty four seven."

"I don't think-"Tessa took in her breath as she tightened the grip on her seraph blades. "-that he has a taste for foul, creature looking fool like you." She insulted. She knew that Juliette had a short temper, so she took advantage of that. As planned, Juliette bared her teeth as she lashed out her whip at her. Tessa stepped aside just in time as the whip wound itself onto the chain. Juliette still clung onto her whip as she tried to tug it out, Tessa took this time to lift her blade to cut the whip. She cut it so closely to the handle so that she could no longer use the weapon. The rest of the demon tail hung limply around the chain before it finally disintegrated into bright golden powder. Juliette scowled at her.

"You little prick!" She screeched, throwing the useless handle away. "I would kill you myself but the magister would sever my head."

Tessa couldn't help but smile broadly for her quick thinking. But that tiny piece of celebration didn't last very long. The chain that once had the whip curled around it was now thinned almost to a piece of string. Tessa forgot that the whip was poisonous and that it burnt through everything that it touched. The chandelier snapped as one of chains was completely severed. Tessa made herself ready as she jumped out before the chandelier crashed to the ground. She stumbled onto the ground uneasily and once again, pain coursed through her legs. She stood up carefully and made sure she didn't break anything.

The whole foyer was silent, remaining shadow hunters were scattered everywhere, conscious or knocked out. Automan and their parts were littering the floor as well, She could still hear fighting noises down the hall, upstairs or on the other side of the manor. Tessa limped over to see the ruins of the destroyed glass chandelier, expecting to see Juliette among the broken pieces. But oddly enough, she was nowhere to be seen, she completely disappeared. _Did she escape before it hit the ground? _She shook her head from that puzzling thought as Will came downstairs to meet her, She saw Jem from the corner of her eye coming towards her. Before she could say anything, something hard clamped down on her shoulder.

"You will be staying here with me Theresa Gray. You will not be causing anymore problems." Tessa's body was suddenly cold all over as Mortmain boldly claimed her.

"I will not." Tessa argued as she tried to shake his hand off but suddenly there was something pointed to her neck.

"It doesn't matter if you want to, I will force you to come with me whether you like it or not." Mortmain explained coldly. He watched as Will and Jem started to advance toward with bared teeth and sharp weapons at their aid.

He shook his head. "If you take one more step forward men I will drive this knife through her neck and you shall watch her die."

"Try to do it." Tessa teasingly spat. "You can't kill me, you need me." Mortmain wrinkled his nose as he hesitantly moved the tip of the knife.

"You think you can outsmart me shadow hunters?" Mortmain laughed with no humor. "I thought you all would be beyond that."

"You can brag all you want." Jem said. "Just release Tessa." Mortmain laughed again as if it was a joke. Tessa wished she had some way of wiggling out without the knife cutting her neck. Kicking as elbowing was no use, he would just drive the knife a little deeper.

"Did you get my little message?" he said slyly towards Will. "My newest invention. Your sister was one of the first to use them."

Will set his jaw as he moved forward, Tessa could see the anger in his eyes: blazing blue fire that erupted here and there. Jem stayed close to him. "You stay away from my sister." He snarled.

"Your mother was _delicious. _She was enjoying herself I must say-"

"You sick bastard! I shall kill you with my bare hands! My mother and Cecily suffered because of your treacherous intentions!"Before Will could lunge at him, Jem pulled him back. "Don't Will, that's what he wants you to do."

"I now shall take away what you all seem to love most."He said darkly. "Say goodbye Theresa."

Before Mortmain could disappear with Tessa in his grip, Jem moved as quickly as possible as he wrapped his arm around Mortmain's neck in a chokehold as he thrust his the knife out of his hand without harming Tessa. She stumbled back in surprise as she touched her neck. It was still wet from the cut that Juliette gave her. When she looked at her hands, they were covered in blood. She looked at her dress and found out that her corset, her trousers were coated in blood as well. Suddenly, she began to feel hazy as her eyelids dropped. Darkness came over her as her mind shut down from the outside world. She collapsed onto the floor.

"Tessa!" Will cried as he made his way to her. Jem started to come forward until something painful shot through his neck. He reached his hand as he took out a dart, its needle coated in blood. Suddenly, his body went numb as he shut his eyes closed and dropped to the ground like Tessa. Will looked in horror at the two as he looked at the balcony. It was Sergei who shot the dart, it was a poisonous dart.

Will looked back at Mortmain. But he was….

Gone.

He sighed. _Mortmain will always be known to make a dramatic exit._

**Yeah, I wasn't sure what to put for the ending…hopefully the rest was a bit better ^_^**

**Is Juliette Tessa's sister? Hmmm, I wonder if she really is….:)**


	16. Pay what you broke

**Heys guys! Sorry it took me so long to update this chapter, there are just too many things I have to do first that I really don't want to do. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

_Goodness, Miss. Gray has one of the most horrible looking wounds I have ever seen. _

Sophie patted Tessa's demon poison cut on her neck with some unknown disinfectant. She watched sickly as some of the poison started to ooze out of her skin, leaving a vomit green color on Tessa's pale complexion. Tessa flinched as Sophie wiped her cut repeatedly; she had to have one hand around her wrist to keep her from moving away. Tessa was still sleeping, but she kept moaning and speaking strange things in her sleep, as if she was suffering from a nightmare. When she was done rubbing the ointment on her neck, she dumped the damp cloth into her water bucket and pulled out a stele that she borrowed from Charlotte. She swiftly drew a healing iratze and used a fresh cloth to wipe her cut one last time. Sophie tucked her back into bed and quietly closed the door behind her.

She was not in her regular work outfit; she was still wearing her training clothes. Sophie was starting to get quite comfortable in her trousers and her billowing blouse that seemed to be too big for her. Maid apparel was not at least bit comfortable, but she had to. Sophie didn't want any unexpected guests coming over to see her dressed as a man. As she was turning around the corridor, the white lace that was holding up her hair slipped away and fell to the floor, her brown hair tumbled down on her shoulders as she fumbled to get her lace and tie back on…

"Good evening Sophie." A voice said. Sophie jumped; she was still on the floor, trying to pick up her lace with her slippery gloved hands. Her brown, wide eyes bore into a familiar pair of emerald green eyes. Memories of that _day _seemed to come like a storm in her brain. Sophie flushed.

"T-to you as well Master Gideon." She stammered as he knelt down and picked up her lace and gave it to her. She smiled meekly in gratitude as they both rose up together.

"Are you well? You look pale." Gideon asked politely. Sophie's hands instinctively touched her cheeks as they gave them a little pinch for color.

"I just came from the infirmary." She replied.

"Ah, where Miss. Gray is resting. Quite a lash wound she has gotten there." He said. Inside, she was pleading him to leave. His eyes rested on her hair as a lump formed in his throat. Sophie shifted uneasily. _I must look terrible. _She thought. The utter silence made both of them uncomfortable. They all knew well what event transpired through them that were now vaguely important. Sophie had never been so embarrassed in her life, her mind kept playing scenes of what happened between them. That day that would always be remembered, the day that they would've probably regret what happened between them. _His hands in her hair, his lips softly moving on hers, her hands sliding down his chest, that feeling that blossomed in her heart._

"Yes. At least she won't have a scar." She said quietly, Gideon almost failed to catch it. Sophie looked at him one more time before curtsying for dismissal.

"Scars do not mask beauty Sophie." Gideon said softly, Sophie stopped walking but she didn't dare to turn around. "I am true to my word." He stepped closer to her so that his breath trickled on her neck, she shivered.

"You have a kind opinion." Her voice tightened. "But Master Lightwood, you fail to realize how wrong you are." She wanted to take back what she said. Mere servants were certainly not allowed to tell their masters that they were wrong. It was servant common sense to know that they were always right, but she did speak on what she believed to be true. And she could be fired for that. She needed to get away quickly. "I shan't be wasting any of your precious time Master Lightwood. I apologize for that." And with that she began to walk away.

"No Sophie, I shouldn't be wasting your time either. I am one to apologize." Gideon said quickly, she smiled a little. Gideon was always a gentleman. Before she could scurry away from him, he planted a kiss on her cheek. Sophie jumped and of course, blushed. A thousand sparks tickled on her skin where his lips were. She stood still again and closed her eyes. Without any thought she hurried back and kissed him on the lips, it was so quick and brief that he didn't have time to close her eyes and pull her into an embrace. Maids weren't allowed to court –that _nicely_-to their masters. A strange mixture of guilt and excitement bubbled in her stomach as she disappeared down the hallway.

Gideon turned around and continued his path to the dining hall. He quietly thought of Sophie and the things that he….was keeping to himself. He couldn't do it no longer, he must quit now or else he might lose everything.

_I did not deserve that kiss. _Gideon's conscience buzzed. _I do not deserve Sophie._

.o0O0o.

"So, what you're saying is that you have found nothing in the HaleDale abandoned inn. Is that correct?"

_This is completely useless. _Charlotte thought as she stirred her warm cup of tea. Nobody found or learned anything from their investigation, well, most of them. Charlotte was getting quite stressed and worried. They were on a tight deadline since the invasion happens to be tomorrow. They couldn't be sure; it could be one of Mortmain's tricks up his sleeve. They needed information desperately and they needed it now. The Clave's hands were tightening around Charlotte's throat; she could almost hear them now. _We now have proof that you cannot handle your institute. We shall hand it over to Benedict Lightwood; if he is passed on we shall give it to Gideon. We knew that women could not possibly handle such responsibilities of owning institutes, we should have known better._

Pippa pulled a strand of her hair in guilt. "My apologies Miss Branwell. We could not find anything relevant to the case."

Charlotte sighed in disappointment as she went on with the next group. Hope inside her was crumpling into a small ball like paper. "Jess-"She stopped for a moment to see Jessamine's chair empty. _Of course. It would be out of character if she attended and listened to an actual meeting. _Charlotte reasoned.

"Caleb, what about your group? Did you find anything?"

To Charlotte's surprise he nodded. He took his satchel and pulled out a thick folder full of papers. He slid the heavy file across the table as it stopped in front of Charlotte. The document was in bad shape. It was burned and torn. She flipped through the papers; they weren't as bad as the front folder.

"We found this in the fireplace near the bar tables." He said. "It seems that someone pulled them out of the fire before they completely burned."

She carefully opened it again and looked at the first paper. It had burnt edges and soot covered the paper fully. The scrawl was a bit hard to read since it was damaged so much. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the sender of the paper. It was Tessa's mother. She flipped through the other papers, they were all letters and all of them were sent by Elizabeth Gray, and the one receiving the letters was Mortmain. Some papers were clearer than others. There were some repetitive words that caught her eye: _Changed, miss, daughter, love, _and a bunch of others that were cut off.

"Good lord. Tessa's mother is involved with this whole case." She whistled as she set the folder down onto the table.

"Other than that, we found an empty bottle of _Gadabyarus _demon poison on the countertop. We couldn't pick it up since….it was still wet." Caleb informed.

"Isn't that the poison that we found on Tessa's wound?" Gideon asked. Everyone nodded.

"Yes, we can assume that it came from one of Mortmain's accomplice's weapon. What was that girl's name again? The one wearing a black eye patch with red hair?" Charlotte asked.

"Juliette." Will answered his voice cold."We don't know what her last name is."

"Speaking of Tessa's wound. Will, Jem, aren't you supposed to be guarding Tessa? You must know that she should be indeed hiding from Mortmain, not fighting among the crowd." Charlotte scolded.

"My deepest apologies to Tessa and you Charlotte. We got…sidetracked." Jem explained before Will could say anything.

Will's fists clenched together at the thought of Tessa. He told her to stay in that room and he made sure that he was clear and precise. He made her promise. But of course, who was Tessa to keep of promise of his anyway? He was angry at her for making him worry so much. When Will came to the room to check on her, he nearly died of a panic attack when he found out that the room was empty. He was even more worried and upset when he found Tessa and Juliette, on the chandelier, fighting. He never felt so helpless in his life, and he was starting to blame himself. _I should've stayed with her. I should've locked the door. I should've tied her to the bed or a chair to keep her from leaving…_

"Isaiah, did your group find anything?" She asked. Isaiah-in shame- nodded to her disapproval. She took a long sip of tea before clattering it down onto the saucer. "Shall we move on?" She asked, the group nodded.

"Mr. Fresco." She called; Daniel straightened up at the sound of his name. "-and I are going to be going over the battle strategies. If you need us, we will be in here. I advise you all to train right away, sharpen your weapons, and improve your skills. The invasion could happen tomorrow." Charlotte ordered as the group mumbled in response and rose from their seats. Everyone headed out of the library as Will, Jem and Pearl headed off together to the main hall.

Will found Cecily waiting for him outside. Her eyes perked up and walked towards them. "How was the meeting?" She asked.

"Useless." Will told her. "There was nothing at all to discuss about."

Pearl tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "There was those letters about Tessa's mother." She reminded him. Will shot her a menacing look as Cecily's ears perked up in curiosity.

"Is that so?" Cecily said in the upmost interest. "That opens up so many theories and possibilities! I wonder-"

"Why did you tell her that Pearl?" He sighed as Cecily rambled on. "She doesn't need to know that."

Pearl put her hands to her hips."I think everyone ought to know."

He shook his head in disagreement."She isn't involved in this, the more that she knows the more she wants to be part of this." Cecily's lips pulled into a fine line before it became a wide, open circle. Before she could say anything to her brother, Jem stepped in.

"This is a perfect opportunity to hear you play piano." He said dryly. She looked surprise as she shot Will one last angry look before smoothening it out to face Jem.

"You are right, but first you shall play for me first. A little concert orchestra if you will." She said pleasantly as she took Jem's arm as he started to lead her out of the main hall. She looked at her brother again and narrowed her eyes. "I will speak to you sometime during the day brother, don't you dare forget." Then she turned her heel around and went upstairs to Jem's room, leaving Will and Pearl alone.

She turned to face Will. "Shall we go to training room? Hopefully it isn't too packed in there." He nodded as they silently walked to the training room together. There was no need to change; in fact, everyone was already in their training uniforms. They were all supposed to start training first thing in the morning, but Charlotte called them all for a brief meeting in the library. All of the men were getting used to the fact that the women were wearing… men attire. No one was immature about it, no one even faintly blushed or merely took a long glance at their legs, and if so, Pearl would be the first to show them a thing or two about maturity.

They went to the first door on the left hallway in the east wing to find that most of them training. Will and Pearl could hear instructions being told out, sounds that weapons made, movements here and there and only a few needed through demonstration. It was a relief that the room could occupy such a number of people, or else they would need to clear another. No one seemed to notice the two walk in, they were all too busy focusing on what they were doing.

Pearl and Will found a vacant spot near the end corner of the room. Pearl quickly ran over to the weapons storage room and came back with a lethal bow and a sack of finely sharpened arrows. The bow was made out some kind of dark wood; silver markings gleamed artfully on the bow as the string looked like it came from a faerie harp. She slung the bow around her as she slid on special leather gloves to keep her fingers from blistering. Will plucked a throwing knife from the array of other throwing knifes and smoothened the side of the thin metal with his thumb. The knives were in a sort of lightning bolt shape, with the four C's engraved in the middle. Pearl smiled at him as she readied her bow and arrow, aiming for a worn out wooden target in front of them. She let go and the arrow flew straight to the middle of the target, in a blur, Will threw his but it managed to hit the middle of the target first. Pearl's arrow came bouncing off as it fell to the floor.

Pearl sniffed as she drew out another arrow. "I see how it is." She said in a competitive voice. "Best out of five?"

"You wouldn't stand a chance." Will said skeptically.

"Is that so? Is that a dare itself?"

"Possibly."

"Then let's get started."

She aimed for another target and quickly sent the arrow spiraling to the middle, Will had three throwing knives between his fingers as he blindly whipped them towards the same target and the same place, To Pearl's dismay, the arrow was separated into three pieces, created by the Will's blades. The throwing knifes didn't all fit in the middle, but instead created a perfect line across the middle of the target. She whirled around and shot at another target, this time, her arrow came first before the knife, Will's weapon came tumbling to the ground. Pearl tried again as the arrow sped it's way to the red middle circle, it stuck to the target first, but the board started to sag and fall, Will managed to catch it with two of his knives to keep it in its place.

After constant bickering and winning more matches, Pearl came out as a winner. After creating craters in the practice boards, they moved onto different weapons with different people. They practiced on each other, but more careful to people around them. Training held on for another three hours, time went by so fast it only felt like minutes were passing them by. Everyone seemed to be doing fairly well, and everyone seemed that they were all ready for a surprise attack or the invasion itself. Mortmain and his clockwork minions wouldn't last through a whole minute if all of them attacked all at once.

Finally, someone announced that people would now be allowed to dismiss themselves to move onto other things they had to do. Some of them said a polite goodbye and hung their weapons as they disappeared through various rooms in the institute, some just went out to get a drink of water or wipe a cool towel around their neck, only a few people stayed where they were and continued to practice. Will set down his weapon as he went to go get a glass of ice water, Pearl kept practicing as he went to the kitchen to get some refreshments.

Instead of water, Sophie and Bridget served pitchers of cool lemonade with small biscuits and triangular sandwiches. Will took a glass as he sipped on it generously, trying to cool down and stop sweating. By the time more people came into the kitchen to get a drink, Will finished almost a full pitcher without anything to eat. But, nothing seemed to cool him down. He tried one more glass as he poured himself half a cup.

"Quite thirsty that you could swallow River Thames dry?" Jem asked, holding a bitten sandwich in his gloved hand.

He licked his lips. "That Hyperbole alone makes me feel bloated that I drank too much." He said. "Blasted River Thames, infested by those cannibalistic evil beasts."

Jem laughed."And yet, you still want to swim naked in it."

"Did I say that?"

"I heard you loud and clear."

"Perhaps I was drunk at that time." Will said as he sipped his lemonade. His glass was now empty. He sighed as he set it down on the dining table. "I will be at the roof. I think I need a bit of air." Jem nodded as he made his way upstairs. Not only he needed some air to cool himself down, the roof was a place where he could be alone and think. A place to organize his thoughts, perhaps drift off into daydream, relax a little. It was his peace spot. He walked up another flight of stairs until he reached the ceiling door that led to the roof. He pushed it open as he climbed onto the tiles of the roof.

A cool breeze flew by as it sent shivers on his skin, it felt so good. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He figured that he could stay here for the rest of the day, just sitting here, alone. And then he looked to his left. Tangled brown hair tangling in the wind covering her face, he sitting position as she hugged her knees to her chest, arms crossed, and enticing gray eyes that pierced into his soul unintentionally like daggers. His good mood crumbled. Everything felt tight and awkward, a burst of fury spread through his heart as he remembered the things that he wanted to speak to her about He struggled to compose his face.

"What are you doing here?"Will asked, his voice straight, not giving off anything.

Her eyes didn't leave the horizon."I was about to say the same thing." Her voice was cracked.

"You're supposed to be in bed." He said firmly. "Resting."

She sat up, dark and noticeable bags appeared below her eyes. "There's nothing wrong to go out for a breath of fresh air Will."

"Yes Tessa, and then there's the window."

Tessa finally peeled her eyes off whatever she was looking at and finally faced Will. He wasn't surprised that her eyes were dimmed to a dull gray color, keeping in mind that she was in fact tired. Her eyes seemed soulless, out of energy, unwillingly to say anything or do anything. She pulled back some of her tangled hair away from her face as she put them over her other shoulder. Tessa shivered in her shawl, pulling it closer to her.

"May I ask why you are here?" She asked, there was no rudeness attached to her voice.

"I needed to think." He responded. Inside, he was silently urging her to go and leave him alone. But another part of him urged him on to ask her questions.

"That makes the both of us." Tessa muttered under her breath. The wind howled softly into their ears.

"So." Tessa started, breaking the peaceful silence. Will put his hand to his mouth from groaning, she was trying to launch off a conversation. "You and Pearl are childhood acquaintances…"

"Friends." Will corrected, Tessa's throat constricted.

"How long have you two been apart?" She asked, her eyes were now glued to the tiles of the roof.

"Eight years, not even a day in those years have I met her once."

"Goodness, and you still remembered her for those eight years?" She snorted.

"She's been on my mind from time to time. When I need to be confronted to, I think of Pearl."

Will couldn't see Tessa silently cringe when he said _she's been on my mind….I think of Pearl. _She felt as if a cold rod was poking her heart, she bit her lip hard for feeling and thinking that way.

"What about Jem?"

His mouth went dry, searching around for an answer."Jem…there are some things that…Jem couldn't possibly…understand from me t-things that he couldn't believe himself if I told him." Tessa stared at Will surprisingly, she had never heard Will struggle so much with words before. Tessa forced her mind to come up with another topic but she couldn't think of anything, before she knew it, a sweep of utter silence swept past them and stayed. It seemed like eternity, trying to figure out what to say…

"I hear that Pearl offered you to go away with her." Her voice cracked the most when she said this. Will rose his eyebrows in surprise, she knew it about this? "To see your family and the rest of your friends…" And then she really looked at Will. "Have you said yes?"

He searched around, there was a tug of agony in his heart when he found the answer. "Of course." He said dryly, Tessa clawed at the ground, the thought of Will leaving made her sick.

Tessa blinked as an extended hand reached out to her, she looked up to see Will staring down at her. "Come, you must rest. You are untitled to be bedridden until you are done healing."

Tessa looked away, a sign that she didn't take his hand as an offer. "I'm fine Will. This wound isn't sucking the life out of me."

Will wasn't a least bit assured. "No, you are going to rest whether you like it or not."

She stood up."No, I will stay here. Being here makes me feel energized already."

"You can stay all you like." He laughed without humor."After your wound has healed, now-let's-go." He reached to touch her arm but she jerked it back. "You have no right to tell me what to do _Will Herondale. _If you simply don't want to face me, you could have just left the door slam in my face without starting an argument."

_She is so stubborn! _He fumed inside. His eyes burned a deadly blue flame. "Fine." He spat. "Let your wound eat you up from the inside. It's not my fault that you disobeyed my instructions when I **clearly **told you to stay in that room."

Shock crossed her face as her eyes flared. "So you are going to go _there. _Start this whole bickering nonsense that would leave us all tired and cranky? Well, I'm not in the mood Will."

He ignored her and moved on. "Instead, you just **had** to go out. You just **had** to break my rule. You just **had** to fight off Juliette to prove yourself off that you are not a useless puppet on strings, and you **had** to get the wound for proof." He snapped.

Tessa bared her teeth. "That is not the reason why I went out. " She argued. "I heard Jem."

"Charlotte, Henry, Jessamine you hear I really don't care Tessa-"

She scowled."Jem is my fiancée! I have every reason to know if he is alright or not!"

"Mortmain and all of his little helpers are looking for you. And I don't think that if he sees you will benefit any of us. You aren't even trained enough." He fired back.

"This is my fight too remember? I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I caused this mess, and I should be the one cleaning it up!"

"If you wanted to help." Will said in a strained voice. "Then you would've stayed in the room like I asked."

Tessa wanted to punch something. "I heard Jem, I heard his distress call. _Isn't it common sense to run over to see if he was alright?"_

"Then it led to fighting Juliette on a chandelier." He spat. "That kiss probably made you woozy, a little loose in the brain."

She felt as if someone dug a wooden stake in her stomach. Tessa flushed, both in embarrassment and anger. "That kiss was a mistake. I regret every single minute of it." Something tugged her heart, as if a thin thread was pulling it.

"At least we agree on something."

And now that wooden stake went through her stomach. She was completely broken now, as if the pieces were trying to piece itself together but failed. She looked away from Will as she brushed past him hard, heading towards the door. She thought she was supposed to sad and upset, but instead of it was blind rage.

"I'm done Will." She whispered, then he voice grew louder. "I so done crying over you. Creating pity towards you because of what you misunderstood, the life that you thought you lived as a lie."

Silence once again swept between them, it was scary.

"Good." He said, his voice on the verge of cracking but it was so profoundly pronounced. "Because I already given up on you."

As if it was made of fragile glass, her heart shattered to the ground. No tears came out yet, just unexpected fury. She turned around to make Will look in her eyes, her eyes were red and tears began to form.

"I hate you." She spat.

Her words were cold and raw. She opened the door and crept inside, slamming it after her. She cupped her mouth with her hands and stared at the steps in horror. She had said too much, she knew that she didn't hate Will. She could never hate Will, but she said it. Making it sound like the truth, she could never face him now. Tessa was now fully convinced that he hated her, when she didn't want him too.


	17. Losing her and everything else

'**Lo guys! Halloween is coming! Are you all excited? Cause I am! **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

"So, darling what exactly have you got there in your hands?"

Henry's mouth line turned into a wide Cheshire grin as he tossed the small device in his hands. He found that everyone at the dinner table was looking at him, glancing at the mechanism in his hands and back at him. Tonight he was getting special attention; he was done his invention after working tirelessly for weeks. He looked at his wife that was staring incredulously at him. Henry tightened his collar as he cleared his throat to speak.

"This." He said as he motioned the device in his hand. "Is our ticket to victory. It is a fire arm for the invasion." The device was a round ball that had little indented circles around it. In the middle was a cube with a piece of string attached to it; on the sides were small levers. It was the size of a grapefruit.

"Have you tested it?" Charlotte asked as she forked up a pea from her plate.

"Yes, downstairs in the lab. Ur…someone needs to clean up down there, it is quite a mess."

"So it's supposed to blow up." Jessamine said suddenly. "You have a talent for that Henry."

Charlotte gave her a dirty look and looked at Henry earnestly. "That's wonderful Henry. We will definitely use it when we need to." Henry grinned proudly again as he sat down in his chair. He placed the device on the table, near the candle light. The dining room went dead silent, with only silverware clattering on the plates. Charlotte coughed as she stared at the device near the burning candle.

"Henry dear?" She said, he looked up from his plate.

"Yes darling?"

She put the napkin to her lips and wiped. "I think its best that you put that away now. We don't want any accidents while we're eating."

He abruptly stood up and snatched the device up away from the waxy candle. "Yes! Yes! Of course!" He exclaimed. "How foolish of me. Now if you all would kindly excuse me, I shall be working downstairs." Charlotte watched as he husband darted out of the dining room. She sighed as she began to finish the rest of her plate, others followed her. For a few minutes it went silent again, and then a loud explosion erupted into the room. Everyone, so very startled, stood up.

"I'm alright!" Henry yelled. Charlotte could smell a mixture of sweet tobacco and demon skin powder enter her nose. Jessamine snickered as everyone settled down in their seats. Charlotte sighed as she ate her last scrap of food before rising up again to be dismissed. Everyone nodded to her as she went to go check up on her husband.

On the other side of the table, Tessa sat there, pushing her food around. She wasn't hungry, not even a little bit. She gave out a defeated sigh as she put down her spoon. She had bags under her eyes and she constantly kept sighing. She knew she looked tired, as if she had been running for miles. Her mind was in the clouds and no matter how hard she tried, she could not recollect her thoughts. Tessa couldn't even sit up straight; she was slouching as she kept her eyes on the ground as if something interesting was there. Her heart was pounding with so much ache and her bones creaked. She was grateful to have Jem by her side; she could have someone drag her to bed if she fell asleep onto the table. But, there was something keeping her awake, or _someone. _The reason she kept tossing and turning in bed and that her eyes were bloodshot as if she hadn't blinked in years. The name echoed through her mind, torturing herself. And that reason happened to sit right across from her, it was driving her mad.

There was one particular memory that clung to her brain like glue. The memory of yesterday, on the roof with that _reason_. The cruel words being exchanged, the hurt in their eyes, it was the end for the both of them. The final nail in the coffin, Tessa wanted to go back and time and tell herself what she should have and should not have said, but of course that was completely out of reach. She wondered why she kept on blurting things out that were totally not true, it was just the anger perhaps. The drive that kicked in whenever she got mad or upset, and then there was this one particular sentence that seemed to be the knife in throat, for the both of them.

_I hate you._

She knew that she was stupid for saying such a hurtful lie, she wanted to stitch her mouth closed as if she was one of the silent brothers. Tessa wondered if she shape shifted into Will right now…would she feel aching pain? Utter sadness? Anger? Or maybe plain lust towards her. She was so scared that he hated her for what she said to him, but how could she apologize for something that could have already torn his heart into pieces? She reminisced to the day when she and Will were in that room, kissing each other forcefully and passionately. It only seemed to break her heart even more, she couldn't even cry, she sworn to herself that she ran out of tears.

She felt a warm hand glide over hers. She looked up to see the adoring face of her fiancée look at her. After he healed a bit from that poisonous dart that was flung at him, he said that he was feeling better. But Tessa didn't believe him otherwise, he looked ten times as unhealthy and tired. His sickness was eating away his energy. Tessa felt a little better to know that she wasn't alone, but it wasn't enough to heal her entire heart.

"Shall we head to the training room?" He asked politely, Tessa nodded as she took his arm as he led her out of the suffocating room. She was relieved of having Will away from her.

"Are you alright Tessa? You look pale." He said as he frowned.

"Am I?"

"Perhaps it's best if you stay in your room for today." He offered.

Tessa was about to say that she was alright, but she gave up on that. It would start an argument, something that she certainly did not want to do today.

"I think you're right." She said. Jem gave her a worried smile as they approached the staircase. They stood there for a moment. "You should rest as well Jem."

He shook his head and gave a warm smile. "You needn't to worry about me. I'm fine." Tessa wasn't a least bit assured.

"You need it more than I do. Please don't make me worry, don't train today."

"I'll promise you this, after training I'll rest for a bit alright?"

She sighed as she slowly nodded. Tessa hated giving in, especially to his innocent silver eyes. Before she could kiss him goodbye and head off to her room, he touched her arm.

"Let me escort you to your room then." Jem perked up. Tessa gave a warm smile at him. "That will not be necessary Jem, I will be alright."

"I insist-"

Tessa cut him off with a long kiss. They pulled away as Jem smirked shyly. She caught a glimpse of Cecily coming around the corner; she noticed Tessa looking at her and smiled. Tessa returned the smile as she returned to Jem.

"It's alright Jem, but thank you for the kind offer." She said in thanks. "But, I think you should escort Miss. Herondale instead, since both of you are heading to the training room."

Jem turned around to see Cecily walking across the hallway. She also caught his glance and again smiled in greeting towards him. He looked back and planted a kiss of his soon-to-be- beloved wife. He said goodbye as he watched her hike up the stairs. Tessa was indeed very tired and wanted to sleep, even though she hated taking naps during the day. She also wanted to enclose herself in day's thoughts, trying to organize them. Jem turned his attention toward Cecily as he quietly walked towards her.

"Heading to the training room I propose?" She said as one of her eyebrows went up. He offered her his arm as she took it. They started their long trek to the training room. They were already set for the day, wearing their training clothes.

"Have you by any chance finished the song you're working on?" Jem asked, he was trying to make conversation to dumb down the awkward silence between them.

Cecily took a moment to think. "I have." She slowly started off. "But I'm afraid the content of it isn't good enough."

"Then let's see." He said."Can I hear you sing your song?"

"I still can't believe you remember that I was writing a song."

"May I?" He pleaded. "Bridget's ballads are something I would like to get rid of in my head."

She laughed as she cleared her voice. "I'm warning you though; I do not have a lovely singing voice."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that. Go on, sing."

She smiled nervously as she cleared her throat once more and began the first verse of her song.

.o0O0o.

_Memoirs of another death partaking-_

_Run like a black stallion, go on my lover's ghost-_

_And save me from the pit of despair below-_

_Sing! Sing!_

_To sleep in one lover's bed._

_To wake up in the morning to find you are dead._

_Sing! Sing!_

Bridget ended her ballad in a high c note. She sighed as she exhaled from yet another song that she learned when she was young. Her mother would sing these as well, every day when she would sing when she was doing the dishes or folding the laundry. She breathed in the memories of her dear mother, dead and long gone. Bridget knew that her ballads were always about tragic love, stories about how woman would grieve over their bloody men, or woman killing each other to earn one's heart. She didn't know any other songs that she could sing that were not about death love. Bridget believed that she was a decent vocalist, not good, not bad but decent.

She finished scrubbing the last of the pot she was holding and settled it onto the drying rack. She quickly washed her hands with soap and water and wiped them off with a soft kitchen cloth. Bridget brushed her skirts as she took a long scan of the kitchen, wondering if there were any chores to been done in here before she moved onto other things. To her luck, she finished everything. Bridget burst out of the kitchen doors as she made her way to the laundry room where she would start to wash all of the remaining clothes that Sophie left for her.

As she made her way to the room, she passed by the training room. It was filled with all of the guest shadow hunters, training with the weapons in their hands. She was supposed to train today with them, but she simply had too much to do. Bridget caught Will practicing with seraph blades with…what's her name? Fionna. She couldn't help but melt at the sight of his perfect tousled hair, enticing oceanic blue eyes, flawless face and muscular build. Bridget sighed again as she looked at herself. She was too skinny, awkward frame. Long, dull scarlet hair and a small nose, her eyes weren't captivating like Tessa's, Jem's or Will's. They were just a shade of boring brown. She wondered if she looked in anyway appealing at all. She looked at Will again and gave a frown; it wasn't possible for Master Will to like her.

She continued to walk to the laundry room as she gave herself a little fantasy between Will and her. She approached the door as she opened it to find that no one was there. She let herself in as she picked up a basket full of laundry and set it near to the big tub of water. She sat herself down on the stool and began to scrub away. Bubbles prickling at her skin as they popped into thin air.

_Little miss, darling miss._

_I see that you love him so._

_Little miss, darling miss._

_Then why did you let him go?_

_Little miss, darling miss,_

_Why did you stain your pretty, fair hands?_

_Little miss, darling miss,_

_No more little miss, darling miss!_

She sang other ballads as she worked on the clothes. By the time she was finished, her hands were red from all of the scrubbing. She wiped her forehead as she collected the sopping wet laundry and hung them one by one on the drying rack. Bridget wiped her hand on a dry cloth and went to another set of laundry. Instead, all she needed to do was fold since they were all cleaned by Sophie. Quickly, she folded them all and set them neatly onto the basket. According to Sophie, they belonged to Master Gideon. She picked up the clothes basket as she went out of the room. She hiked up the stairs as she came across Gideon's room, humming to herself yet another ballad. She knocked pleasantly, but no one answered the door. She assumed that he was busy training and let herself in.

She enough, he wasn't there. He set the basket of laundry onto the floor as she brushed her dented skirts again. Gideon's room was always neat and tidy, that gave Bridget less work to do. Books aligned alphabetically onto the shelves, the bed was made and the desk where he kept his papers were neatly organized. Before she could walk out of his room, she spotted that his trash can was full. She went over and pulled the can closer to her. It was full of crumpled paper. She picked up the trash can as she began to walk out; to her dismay the paper fell to the floor. Bridget settled the can onto the floor as she began to pick up the crumpled pieces of paper. There was so much in the can and it was enough to spike her curiosity. Bridget took one crumpled up paper and began to unfold it, smoothening the rigid creases at the corners so she could read it properly.

_Dear Axel Mortmain-_

She froze in horror. She couldn't believe it. Gideon was working for Mortmain, out of all the people in the institute it was Gideon. Her heart pumped with disbelief and terror, he could walk any minute by now and realize that he found out his secret. Then she thought of Sophie. Bridget knew her feelings toward Gideon, _poor Sophie _she thought. But, she knew that she had to tell somebody. She quickly gathered up paper and hid it in the pocket of her apron and some in her hat. She placed the trash can back where it was and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, she almost screamed and fell.

It was Gideon.

"M-Master Gideon!" She exclaimed as she tried to calm her pounding heart.

He smiled casually at her. "Good afternoon Miss. Daly. May I ask of your doings in my room?"

She was trembling so hard and she could've sworn that he could read the fear on her face.

His smile pulled into a worried frown. "Are you alright?"

"Tired that's all!" She blurted. "I was just dropping some of your clothes Master Gideon, and if you would excuse me I have other duties to fulfill." She brushed past him and she exhaled, clutching her skirts with her trembling fingers as she walked away.

"Oh, Miss. Dale may I ask you something?"

She robotically turned around and gave him her fakest smile yet."What can I do for you sir?"

"Do you know what kind of flowers does Miss. Collins like?"

She froze again, but not horror again but spreading anger. He was trying to make Sophie fall in love with him, and hurt her in the end. He was evil on the inside after all, masked by this artificial kindness. She smiled again as she opened her mouth to answer.

"Dandelions." She said as she gritted her teeth. She didn't know what kind of flowers did Sophie like, and the word dandelions sprang in her mind.

He cocked his head. "Dandelions? Isn't that a-"

Before he could finish, she ran away and descended down the stairs as if hungry dogs were after her. She clutched her apron that held the paper as she flung the library doors open. She closed the door as she looked at Charlotte, her wide eyes looking at her. Bridget's cheeks flushed at everyone in the room looked at her. Bridget kept her eyes on Charlotte as she walked briskly towards her.

"Bridget, what is ever the matter?" Charlotte asked, he hands folded neatly onto the chestnut table.

"Gideon" She gasped.

Her eyebrows scrunched up together in worry. "Is Gideon all right?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand. If Gideon-"

"Master Gideon is working for Mortmain."

Charlotte's eyes grew small as she looked incredulously at her. Her mouth thinned to a tight line. "Excuse me?"

Bridget withdrew the papers that she held in her apron and let the tumble onto the desk. Charlotte said nothing as she took one of the crumpled papers and began to unfold them slowly. She watched as her eyes went smaller and smaller and her fingers trembling. It looked as if she was going to explode. She put down the paper as she moved onto the next one and the next one, finishing everything that Bridget managed to gather in her hands. Henry sat beside her as he looked at her with worry.

"What is the matter darling?" He asked

Charlotte didn't say anything to him but did stare at Bridget. Her voice raw, cracked and cold. "Get Will over here."

"Yes miss." She said as she curtsied. She quickly ran to the training room to fetch Will. Her heart was racing every time she took a step forward. Her eyes were wide as she scanned a familiar pair of green eyes. She swallowed as she stepped into the training room; no one paid any attention towards her. Bridget let herself in, dodging blades that swung over her head and moving bodies. She caught Will with that…oh, what's her name? Pearl. He was talking to her as he fixed the hilt on his seraph blade. Bridget sucked in a greedy amount of air as she gathered enough courage to talk to him. She had never talked to him before, let alone stare blindingly at his perfect sea blue eyes.

Pearl looked at her and smiled as she elbowed him in the arm. He looked up to see Bridget standing before him.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

Bridget couldn't think if she stared at his eyes so she kept them stuck to the ground. Masking any hint of red from her hot face. "Gideon wants to see you." She said. "Follow me please."

"Can it wait? I have some important things to-"

"He wants to see you now!" She said a bit louder, Will and Pearl exchanged surprised glances as he began to follow her out of the training room. Bridget practically ran to the library and poor Will was trying to keep up with her. Bridget was confused with herself, she always daydreamed of a one day that she could spend just a few minutes alone with 'her handsome and prestigious knight' Will, but in reality she was just too scared to even walk with him.

Bridget entered the library as Will came panting behind her. He looked at Charlotte and came over to her.

"This must be very important." He breathed. "Since Miss. Dale had me sprint all the way over here."

Her ears were burning hot to the touch.

Charlotte passed him the crumpled up papers. Will stared blankly at them. He pushed one with the tip of his index finger. 'What is this?"

"Read." Charlotte said as she watched as he unraveled one of them. He scanned the paper and his face went white, his blue eyes were flaming like fire. He tossed the paper back onto the desk as he ran his fingers through his hair and laughed.

"Lightwoods are all the same." He said through his teeth. Will was able to read Charlotte's face before she could say anything."I will go get the traitor myself." And with that, he disappeared out of the library.

In a few minutes, perhaps a new broken record, Will came back to the library, clutching Gideon by the arm. Gideon showed no sign of struggle, but looked terribly confused. Will pushed him forward as he closed the heavy library doors behind him. Bridget shrunk away as Charlotte motioned her that she could get out. She avoided Master Gideon's startling gaze as she slipped out of the room, and for once she had never been so relieved to get out of a situation before. Bridget calmly walked down the corridor so that she could return to her daily chores. She wondered what would become of Gideon, and what would become of Sophie if she found out.

In the library, Gideon stood uncomfortably in the middle of the room, with all eyes staring at him. His heart was racing, his heart beat speeding up to probably a two hundred beats per second. It was almost as if a bright spotlight shined down upon him while he was on a dark stage. A spark of new worry ignited inside of him, a layer on sweat appeared on his forehead and the atmosphere around him suddenly felt claustrophobic and hot. He stared unwillingly at Charlotte, she did not look pleased at all and on the other hand, Will wasn't looking so joyous either. His eyes spotted crumpled up papers littering Charlotte's desk and it struck him as familiar.

Charlotte picked up one of the paper balls and unraveled it. She cleared her throat as she began to read.

'_Dear Axel Mortmain,_

_As you already may have guessed it, this is a resignation letter. I am no longer working for you anymore for certain reasons. I know the consequences, but before you could even begin to generate your devious plans I will beat you to it. I will neither be sorry or regretful for this since i know that I am doing something right. You might think that I am now against you, you are indeed right. When it comes to us, we will be mortal enemies, no mercy just hatred._

_A not so sincere farewell,_

_Gideon Lightwood.'_

She looked up from the paper and stared at him for a good three minutes. Gideon felt numb all over, the sweat on his forehead turned cold and his insides were frosted. It was almost as if someone hit a low key on the piano. A new feeling of worry and fear began to bang in every heart beat like a loud drum. There was no denying it, he felt every ounce of guilt and he was ready to take the punishment. He wanted to live the rest of his life as a guilt-free, honest man. He gathered up every bit of bravery that he had and managed to look her in the eye.

"Bridget found this in your room." She said slowly. "If you see her, please do not try to harm her or you will be kicked out permanently from this institute." He nodded quickly in her response.

"What is the meaning of this Mr. Lightwood?" Charlotte spoke in a stern voice. "Do I need to call the Silent brothers to bring the mortal sword?"

Gideon shook his head. Inside he was shaking, but he managed to speak in a clear voice. "I will tell you all you need to know." He said. "I am truly very sorry to everyone." None of them seemed appeased.

"When our father-Benedict Lightwood- contracted Demon Pox he was bedridden for the rest of his days, orders from the doctor. He couldn't do anything; he couldn't even get out of bed to get something that he needed. The shadow hunters knew of his foolishness, they knew everything about how he contracted that dreadful disease. If you haven't known already, when we had our last ball he…he slept with a demon. He was being mocked at, his power was dimming. Other than the decrease of his popularity, the company that he ran began to fall. Because of his illness, he couldn't work anymore, we were in financial debt. There was nothing that Gabriel and I could do. We tried contacted our sister –Tatiana- but she never responded to our letters.

"Then I came here so that I could be away to think of should I do to help. I was also angry of my father for doing something so, idiotically stupid. I was ashamed of what he did to our mother; I was ashamed for speaking out such rude things when it came to meetings. I tried convincing Gabriel to come with me to the institute, but he denied me coldly and stood by our father. I still wanted to help them, I still wanted to help fix our financial problems, and then I got a letter.

"To my surprise, it was the devil itself. It was Axel Mortmain. He wanted to help me pay, but in return I would have to work for him. At first I thought the obvious and reject his offer, but my family was striving so I agreed. But I had work for him honestly, after a signed his contract he told me if I had any tricks up my sleeve or if I wanted to quit, he would kill Gabriel. I was taking care of Cecily, I knew of his plans. I would inform anything important to him that happened in the institute.

"Then I began to think of how wrong it was. Everyone seemed to trust me, and I began to…grow feelings. Anyway, I decided to quit. I would think of a way to save Gabriel and my father before Mortmain got to them and earn honest money. I haven't sent the letter yet; I am still trying to think of what to write down."

Charlotte looked Gideon again; it was a face of disappointment and disapproval. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she gave a deep angry sigh. "What have you told Mortmain?"

"I told him very little things. I told him of your plans to investigate the manor, I told him about the invitation to Lady Esther's manor, I told about what you took from him, what you learned from him. He knows that we know that Tessa's mother is behind this. I also told him that Tessa is engaged to Jem."

Then his face lit up when he remembered something. "He told me that the invasion will begin at Tessa's wedding day. He gave you a hint; he emphasized the three in the taped recording. Hence, the invasion will start at _August the third."_

"It is a month away. We have more than enough time to prepare." She said quietly. "You do know that you are a person that can no longer be trusted."

He nodded sadly. "I understand. I am in full blame and I feel a great deal of remorse. I will take any punishment that you have."

"I will still place the mortal sword in your hands. I want to see if you are telling the truth or not. I will also tell the others about this, do you understand?" He nodded again.

"Will I be thrown out of the institute?" He asked, pain thickening in his voice.

"I have decided that I will spare you. Instead, you will tell us everything about Mortmain, where he is, what he is planning etc."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Charlotte."

She didn't say anything. Charlotte was trying with her short temper and patience, she had never been so angry…at herself. First it was Jessamine, then Cecily, and now Gideon. What would the Clave say if they knew about this? They would surely knock her off from her position. Charlotte was so alert; there could be other spies like Gideon, Jessamine and Cecily.

"Are there anymore spies in this Institute Mr. Lightwood?" She asked again, her voice thickening.

"No, not that I'm aware of."

Charlotte looked at Will, his chalky face staring at Gideon in disgust. "Will, I want you to keep an eye out for Gideon. I do not want any more trouble coming out of him."

He nodded in agreement. Before she could dismiss them both so that she could discuss things with her husband, Gideon could hear a low whimpering noise behind him. He stopped and listened attentively to the small noise, it was like…someone holding back sobs. His mind raced and his heart pounded to the familiarity of the noise. He turned around to see a figure standing in a slouched position. He could hear someone saying, _No, No. _Gideon's eyes sharpened to see the figure more clearly, her soft brown eyes were brimming with fresh tears and her face was pink. Her small, fragile hands were cupped to her mouth. The numbness grew all over him again.

"_How could you?" _

It was Sophie.

**I'm not sure about the financial debt part…did they have debt in those days? I know about land fees and all, but I'm not sure at that part… **

**So, Gideon is working for Mortmain, or used to. Do you guys hate him now? Oh, poor Sophie. What will ever happen for the both of them now? T^T. Hey, no happy endings juuuuust yet. :P**


	18. Smile on dark days

**Hi! Sorry it took a while for this chapter to come out, you guys must hate me. I just finished it today, haha :) I'm uber tired, *Yawn* skip this useless author's note and jump ahead on with the story while I raid the fridge and take a nap. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed…**

**DISLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

_Sophie-_

He took fast paces to catch up with her, trying to get a hold, to say something to make her turn around and talk to him. His heart was pounding so loud, that he could hear it through his ears. Every step towards Sophie made him jerk in uneasiness; he didn't want to face her verbal attacks and her scowling face when he came to confront her. Gideon never wanted but more to form a strong relationship with her, and right now, that seemed totally out of reach. He couldn't help but think that she would never forgive him, never make casual talk with her, it pained him inside.

Sophie on the other hand-or at the other side of the hallway- had a mix of rage and sadness stirring inside of her. She was horribly distraught after what she had just heard, Sophie never intended to eavesdrop, but her curiosity got the better of her. She wondered if she didn't hear him say those words, if he would just keep lying to her. She never thought that Gideon, of all of the gentlemen that Sophie has met in her lifetime, would do something this disgraceful. Her current feelings toward him started to crumble, and melt into nothing. Her heart and mind were racing as she tried to calm herself down. Her hands were cupped to her mouth to hold her breaking sobs from sputtering out. Fat tears were cascading down her cheeks and wetting her uniform. As she was running, she hoped in high heaven that no one came down the hallways to see her crying. Sophie needed to hide, somewhere she could be alone to think properly, like she always did in her past.

Before she could enter the west wing, Gideon managed to catch her elbow with his trembling fingers. Sophie was scared so much that she jumped in her shoes; she tried to shake him off desperately, she took one hand to shove him off, but he caught hers and held it tight. He didn't squeeze her hand or do anything harmful to her. She didn't dare to turn around to face him, she was just too scared, and she sobbed harder.

"Sophie, please!" Gideon pleaded his voice weary and gentle.

"Let go of me!" She said, it was almost a scream but then she remembered that she didn't want to catch any attention.

"_Please." _He begged.

"Let go!" She cried, her struggles getting weaker as more tears flooded her face.

"Sophie, I beg of you. Please listen to what I have to say-"

"You have said enough." She stammered, cutting him short. Her voice getting thicker by the minute. "I have heard enough."

"I know what I did is shameful, unforgiving. But you have much to understand about me." He was struggling for the right words to say, things that wouldn't upset her. _But by the angel, _he had already upset her greatly.

"I understand completely, there is no need for further explanation." She said in a strained voice. "I understand that you needed the money to support your family and I also understand that it took you a month to figure out what you were doing was wrong."

"Believe me I know Sophie, and I am so sorry."

"Whatever are you sorry for Mr. Lightwood?"

"Please, don't call me that. You know that I liked to be referred as-"

"Gideon, I know." She finished in her shaky tone. "But a sickly, worthless, dirty peasant girl named Miss. Collins shouldn't refer to their masters in such a manner."

She felt his arm go around her waist as he pulled her close to him, her back on his chest. Her intake of air was rapid as her heart raced faster, a thousand volts of electricity sparked on her skin. He leaned his forehead on the back of her head. Breathing her in.

"You are **not **a sickly, worthless, dirty-"

"Don't" She whispered painfully, she felt incredibly numb in his arms. "Everyone trusted you, Master Will, Miss Branwell, Master Jem, but out of all of them I trusted you the most. I understand how hard it must have been for you, having Axel Mortmain at your throat, but you failed to realize that we would have _helped _you. We trusted you, but you didn't trust us."

Gideon was speechless, he didn't know what to say, but he did know that he blamed himself for anything. He had never felt so foolish in his entire life and he had had never felt so ashamed. And now, for he did, he would have to pay the ultimate price.

"I am truly, very so deeply sorry Sophie. I love-"

She turned around to face him. A shot of courage coursed through her as she looked at his pained eyes. Gideon's heart plummeted, to see the red swollen face of the girl he loved was painful, and it was more painful to know that he was the cause of it. She pointed to the scar on her cheek.

"Would you like to know where I got this?" She said shakily. "At my first job before I worked here, I had a master whom I worked for. I was a parlor maid, my master saw whatever beauty he saw of me and courted me. He was persuasive; he didn't want a no for an answer. Even though he was quite handsome, he was conceited and cold inside and I didn't like that. One day, when he asked me to accompany him for a morning walk, I said no, and would you like to hear the rest? It's quite a drama from there on.

"He tried seducing me, pushing me onto his bed and started to rip out my clothes. As I tried to escape, he struck me across the face with a knife and his mistress kicked me out. I was left alone to fend for myself."

Gideon was once again speechless. He reached out to touch her face, but she quickly put it away from her.

"When I started working here, I grew some affectionate feelings for one of masters. He was kind and caring, not at all like the master I last had. But, he didn't love me in return, he loved someone else. It broke my heart, but I managed to get by without the throb of pain whenever I see him with her around. And then, there was a time when my fellow co-workers told me that he loved me, I did not say anything back. Then came an expected invasion from Mortmain and his clockwork creatures, He died, and I did not tell him what I felt about him, I was too late, I hated myself for making him wait so long.

"And now I'm here, and I'm waiting for my heart to be broken for the fourth time." She took a step away from him, turning around quickly and darting into a run before he could take the first step forward. He ran his fingers through his hair. And clenched his teeth, if only he had known her better, if only he knew of the pain she had been keeping inside of her for all of these years. And now knowing this, he wanted more than ever to protect her, she did not think she was worthy or beautiful at all and she wasn't exactly being meek or humble. He wanted to be the first person to really love her, tell her all of the things she needed to hear, but she slipped away easily away from him.

_It's alright to love someone who doesn't love you back, as long as they're worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it. _

.oO0Oo.

_Careful little melody,_

_Singing words I'd never speak,_

_Skating in your friendly mind-_

Tessa shut the poetry book with such force that it sent ripples through her skin. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe evenly, but she couldn't, there were just too many things to think about and she thought that cracking up a book of poetry would help clear her mind. But, _poetry, _why in the angel's name did she pick _poetry? _As soon as she walked into the library, her hands drifted to copies of various poets, things about nature, treasure, lifelong hopes and dreams and torn romances. Tessa thought that the poetry that she was reading reflected herself, her inner self; it only gave her more things to think about.

She was quite stressed since this morning, cooped in her own prison of thoughts and locked herself in the library. Tessa wanted to be alone for today, isolating herself from people that she didn't want to see or talk too. There was too much drama happening outside, too many problems that needed to be resolved. Tessa was saving herself from it, she certainly didn't need it today. But, deep inside she knew that she was hiding from Will. But even hiding away from him didn't even keep her from thinking about him; his name haunted her, drinking night's sleep away from her. Whenever he would pass by her in the hallway, her stomach knotted and her eyes were burning. A part of her wanted him to go away, so that she wouldn't be in such a misery, and on the other hand she wanted to cling to him like there was no tomorrow. Will was capable of doing these things to her, even though he wasn't conscious of what his presence was doing to her.

Tessa took a long glance at the door as if someone was standing there. No one tried entering the library yet.

She stood up, picked up her book and brushed her skirts. Tessa put back the heavy poetry book and walked to the door, her hand turned the knob to open the lock, and she had put a spell on it using a stele. She gave a heavy heave as she closed the door behind her and went upstairs to see if Jem was doing alright. Tessa prayed that Will wasn't lingering anywhere in the hallways; silences between them were like a knife being driven through her stomach. She picked up her scarlet-dress skirts as she walked up the stairs. As usual, Jem's door was open and she could hear music emanating from the room. The corners of her mouth perked up as she took a peek. Jem was standing up, with his violin. His chin was rested on the pad of his instrument as he moved the bow gracefully to play it. It was beautiful music, only a violin could play with such emotion. As he finished, Tessa erupted in applause as Jem turned around to face her, he smiled.

"Tessa." He said, something in his eyes beckoned her to come closer, and she did.

"That was beautiful Jem." Tessa breathed. "Is that a new piece?"

He shook his head. "No, I've been practicing this one for a while but I haven't mastered it yet."

"But it sounds so wonderful." She said. Jem smiled at her again, he plucked some notes on his violin before he remembered something. "Would you like to hear something that I wrote for you?"

Her eyes widened. "Y-You wrote something for me?"

Without hesitation, he lifted his instrument in playing position and began to play. Tessa listened in fascination as the music started off with a sweet, melancholy melody, then descended to something a bit more serious. It was only seconds until the Jem's music gradually halted to a stop. Tessa clapped again as he put on a big grin.

"I can't believe you wrote that. But mostly, I can't believe you wrote that for me."

"It's called _Ta shi chong man lee gesheng." _

She took a step closer to him so that their faces were only inches apart. "And what does that mean?"

He kissed her full on the lips, parting to say that answer. "_She is filled with song._ And if you couldn't tell, _she _means _you."_

She kissed him back before she could blush. "Thank you Jem. That is very sweet of you."

He put back him violin in his case and sat on his bed, Tessa sat next to him, their shoulders touching."I can't say that I took all the credit. Cecily helped me out as well."

Her eyes perked up. "Oh, where is Cecily? Did you happen to hear her play?"

He nodded in response. "I think she's with her brother. Cecily's really talented at the piano and very talented when she sings."

Tessa watched as the blue Persian cat-Church- enter the room. Its long lean body swayed gently and elegantly as he sat down and looked at Jem and Tessa with his narrow slit eyes. Eventually, it hopped onto the bed and sat himself down on Jem's lap. Church purred softly as Jem stroked his fur between his ears. It stretched as he yawned and turned around so Jem could rub his warm belly. His blue tail jumping around with pleasure.

"I asked Cecily if she could play at our wedding." Jem told Tessa.

"That's wonderful. She could sing and play during our after party." She exclaimed. Church stared at them in question, blinking as a visible speck of dust came across his eyes as he tried to catch it with his paws.

"Did you happen to hear about Gideon?" Jem asked, even thought he already assumed that she already knew, rumors spread fast around this little institute. Everyone knew, and everyone was staring down above Gideon. To him, he believed there was some good in the Lightwood family, but now, it made them seem that they were all the same.

"Yes. Quite dreadful, we never thought it would be Gideon. He was such a gentleman." Tessa replied. She reached over to pat Church's head; His eyes blinked as he ignored the speck of dust and caught her fingers with his paw. She laughed as she took back her hand, grateful that he didn't retract his claws.

"But there is an upside to this." He added. "We now know that the invasion is a month away. That gives us plenty of time to prepare."

"Well, yes. But I wonder, Mortmain told us three days, and we would have been ready in three days time. Isn't it smart to not tell your opponents when you're invading?"

"True." Jem "I think he's telling us something."

"It could be." She responded, pondering at that thought. Tessa went back to Gideon's betrayal for moment, and she immediately thought of Sophie. Tessa bit her lip, _oh, poor Sophie. _She thought. She wondered if she was alright, she wondered if she confronted to Gideon. At the same time, she was thinking if Sophie was cleaning the floors with her tears, but, Sophie was strong, she was the type of person that could hold pain inside and still put a smile on her face. Same as a _certain individual…_

Jem picked up Church and set him on the floor as he stood up. He unlatched the locks holding his violin case as he retrieved his instrument. He looked at Tessa. "Would you like to see something odd?" She nodded in surprise.

"Watch Church." He ordered, she turned her attention to the cat as he began to play a familiar song. She laughed as he purred the missing note that Jem left for him. He purred all the way as the short song came to a finish. She could have sworn that the cat frowned as Jem put away his instrument, Church got bored and began to catch specks in the air with his paws.

"That was unusual, but I liked it." She commented.

"I found out in a couple of weeks after Church started to spend time in my room, he-"

"Is the oddest cat you have ever seen? I would certainly agree with you on that."Someone finished for him. Tessa's felt a weight inside her that dropped heavily on her stomach. Jem grinned at Will leaning against his door frame as she tried to swallow the invisible foreign object down her throat, she thought she could at least get away through the day without seeing him once…

"You saw?" Jem asked. He nodded as he looked at the cat.

"I was just passing by, when I heard a cat singing Christmas carols down the hall. Funny how Church was singing church related music."

"Never thought of it that way." Jem said. He looked at Will's side and saw Cecily with a heavy book with in her hands. She was frowning at him.

"Will, can we leave please? You got chocolate stains on my new book!" she exclaimed, she looked sympathetically at Jem and Tessa and mouthed a sorry.

"It's your fault that you left it at the dining room. Didn't Bridget tell you that we were out of napkins?" He said in a bored tone. Jem smirked at him.

Her sister rolled her eyes. "But you wiped your mouth on a _book. A bloody book, _when you could have used your sleeve!"

Will waved his hand in dismissal. "Bridget or Sophie would be more than glad to help you, now, be a good girl and skip away."

She rolled her eyes and again and said a polite goodbye to Jem and Tessa. Now it was only the three of them. Tessa kept her eyes glued to the floor, happy that Will was ignoring her. She suddenly felt so trapped between them, she couldn't even utter a single without Will looking at her coldly, even though she couldn't look him in the eye, she could feel it.

"Where did you two go?" Jem asked.

"Outside, to that new book shop that just opened across the street."

She couldn't help but feel a jump of excitement and the mention of books, Tessa tried to cover it but she was afraid that he could read it on her face. She put her hands on her cheeks, trying to mask any appearing redness from them. She yawned for effect.

"I never knew that you played the piano Will." He added, Will shrugged as a smirk came across his face. Jem could see hidden modesty written on his face.

"Talents fade." He said

"Not if you practice." He corrected him. "Perhaps you could play for me sometime, since you owe me a favor-"

"That's not what I came to talk about." He interrupted him, Jem stopped in surprise "Charlotte told me to tell you that she wants us to go to Silent City, with Gideon tomorrow."

"Oh, well alright, is-"

"I didn't tell her that we agreed, I was thinking of your health-"

"Will, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, I have Tessa now." He grinned as he snaked his arm around Tessa's waist. She wished that he hadn't had said that in front of Will. But, she hid her displeasure as she grinned, in hope that it would pass for a smirk or something. To Tessa's horror, she dared to look up at Will. He looked at her for a brief moment, his eyes locked onto hers. Behind those vibrant blue eyes, she could see sadness, or maybe it was just her. Then he looked away from her, her eyes blinking as if her eyes were dry for a while.

"Jem, you should be aware of your health. You've been having episodes every week." He reminded him, his voice getting tight and thick. Jem sighed as he unwound his arm from Tessa's waist as he stood up.

"I _am _aware of my health; you needn't need to worry about me so much." He said in assurance, but his Parabatai didn't seem to calm down at all from his words.

"Did you take your medicine this morning?" Will challenged, he looked at him sheepishly as he his eyes settled on the box that held his _yin fen. _He was grateful that Will cared for him so much, but sometimes, it was just too much. It was sometimes embarrassing; Charlotte wasn't the only mother like figure around the institute…

"I'll take it right now" He said in soothing voice. He walked up to the shelf that held the small silver box that contained his medicine. He could feel the steely gaze of Will as he reached up to get it. He would have to remember to lock the door next time and ask who was on the other side before they could come in. Lingering on that mental note, a sudden spark of pain conjured in the pit of stomach. Traveling up and tingling his spine in a very aching way. It played with his insides as he lurched down, clutching his stomach. The panicked voices of his loved ones were blurred, he suddenly couldn't hear. Nausea began to boil inside of him as his throat constricted, warm liquid became to surge quickly up and up.

"Jem!" Will said frantically as he quickly went to get his medicine while Tessa leaned forward and held him as he bent down in vomit position.

"The feeling will pass, the feeling will pass." Tessa soothingly told him as Jem vomited blood on the wooden floor. She looked away as some of his blood splattered on her skirts. She rubbed circles on his back in comfort. As the lurches of blood vomit became less and less, he can finally sit up straight as Will gave him a cloth to wipe his mouth. Jem began to cough out the last bits of blood before eventually stopping.

"Go get Sophie." Will ordered, his voice so soft that Tessa almost missed it. She scrambled to her feet, before he could repeat himself. Tessa went out of the door and began to frantically search for Sophie. She finally spotted her wandering down the hallways with a broom in her hands. She smiled in triumph as she picked up her skirts and hurried to her.

"Sophie!" She called out, eventually catching up to her. She turned around to greet Tessa, her eyes widened, Sophie's face was red and her eyes were bloodshot with heavy dark bags under them. She had been crying, and Tessa knew why. Sophie gave her sweetest smile and tried to hide her blotchy face.

"What can I do for you miss?"

"Jem-"

Her eyes widened as she began to go the other direction. "Come; let's go get something to wipe the blood off." Tessa followed her to multiple closets to get the things that they needed. After getting everything, they dashed to Jem's room where they were greeted with a massive pool of his blood; Will was holding Jem as he offered him bits of the _yin fen. _Will looked at the two girls and nodded; Sophie passed through the blood and helped Will get Jem onto his bed and under the covers. She placed a cold wet towel on his forehead; his skin was burning hot to the touch. Jem fell asleep as soon as he was tucked in, clutching Will's bloody handkerchief in his fist. Tessa went to go sit beside him as Sophie began to soak up the blood with a towel as she wrenched it with a bucket. Will went over to put away Jem's medicine away.

Sophie was quick; she was done with the blood and began to scrub it down with soap water. Tessa was stroking Jem's hair, even though his dreams could be already comforting him. Sophie was done scrubbing all the bloodstains away and put away all of her materials that she brought. Will muttered a thank you as she gave a crooked smile at him and went out. Now it was just the two of them, Jem sleeping.

"I will watch over him." Tessa told him in her smallest voice.

He nodded solemnly as he began to walk out. But she couldn't let him leave without saying anything, even though she was struggling up with something to say.

"I could…" She faltered, and then gathered enough courage to finish her sentence. "I could help you bring Gideon to Silent City, since Jem is ill at the moment."

Will turned around, uninterested, and began to walk away from her. "Thanks, but no thanks." He muttered under his breath. Tessa started to panic, she had this urge to try to speak to him again, trying to settle this awkward this silence between them once and for all.

"Wait!" She blurted, then she covered her mouth but the sound already escaped. Will stopped his tracks, she swallowed again.

"_I'm sorry." _She whispered, she wondered if he heard her, but she never knew because he already disappeared from her view.


	19. Dream come true

**How long was it since I last updated? That doesn't matter, I still feel awful for making you guys wait so long. Even virtual cookies don't make up for what I did T-T**

**One word: HOMEWORK :P**

**Oh! Almost forgot….. GOT TO MEET CASSIE CLARE! (I'm not kidding! :)**

**See you guys in the next chappie :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES  
**

The weeks couldn't have been faster, they were more like minutes, like days cut in half. The invasion was called off until a month from now, but no one started to settle down, because they were expecting the unexpected. They needed to be more alert with their surroundings, tighten their security and sharpen their skills. Charlotte was working ten times as hard than her fellow shadow hunters, she needed everything to be ready, everything to be sorted out, but the more she got things done the more she had to do. She was sitting quietly in her study as she filled in paperwork and sorted out future plans, Gideon was sitting on the couch, reading. Charlotte wanted him with her for answers, questions about the invasion and about Mortmain, even though he already told out everything when the Silent brothers placed the mortal sword on his hands. Occasionally, Charlotte would merely glance at him, but he refused to meet her gaze, it was just to check up on him.

So far what she learned from Gideon was that the invasion was about a month from now. He told her that Mortmain kept on jumping from place to place so he wouldn't get caught, but to her dismay he did not know where Mortmain was. He didn't know any relation to Tessa's mother and Mortmain, nor did he know any plans regarding his clockwork army. He did know about Juliette and Sergei though, he said that they would always be by Mortmain's side protecting him; he also learned that both of them once were shadow hunters that have long broken several of the Accords. To Charlotte, it seemed that Mortmain never gave Gideon any heavy information; it seemed that he didn't trust Gideon completely.

While Charlotte turned her attention away from Gideon, she could hear a sweet pluck of a note from the hallway beyond her door. She smiled at the sound as she began to write some more of her paperwork. Jem's violin was soothing, something that always relax you're locked up bones and breathe for a while.

In the hallway, in the music room, Jem and Cecily were inside playing music. Jem was finishing his short song as Cecily clapped in applause. He smiled as he put his instrument in rest position, it was nice to have someone in the institute who loved music as well as he did. Before he knew it, he was playing his violin more often and it was because of Cecily, he smiled again as they walked towards the grand piano, he was thankful that she came to the institute.

Cecily rested her hand on the edge of the piano cover as she looked at Jem. "Do you play any other instrument Jem? Or is it just violin?" She asked.

He tapped lightly on the strings of his instrument. "If you count banging pots and pans as a child as an instrument, then yes."

She smiled as she tried to picture Jem, small Jem, sitting on the kitchen floor banging a wooden spoon and a pot together, giggling. "But really, do you play anything else but violin?"

Jem shook his head. "What about you?"

There was a spark of amusement that played on her lips, something that Will would always do when he heard or saw something that piqued his interest. "I do. I sing."

"The human voice is the loveliest instrument." He added.

"Do you, by any chance, sing Mr. Carstairs?" She asked, one eyebrow arched high in curiosity.

He smiled broadly as he gave out a big laugh. "Good heavens no. I sound like a dying horse."

"Oh, no one's that awful." Cecily replied, folding her hands as her eyes were set on the window. Rain was gently tapping the glass as the fog blurred any sight of trees or sky. "Have you ever heard Will sing?"

He nodded. "Yes, demon pox and other songs related to curses and dreadful things."

She shook her head. "That's my brother. Bridget and Will could possibly marry for all I care."

"That would make her your sister in law." He pointed out.

She gagged a little bit. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I could handle anymore of Bridget's awful death related ballads." She straightened herself up as she sat down quietly on the piano bench. "My brother…my brother rarely writes anymore poetry." She said quietly. "His poetry is beautiful and sometimes he even writes lyrics for songs." She smiled at Jem. "Would you like to hear what he wrote?"

He nodded as she gave one last smile as she laid her fingers on the keys. The music drifted to a slow, sort of sad melody, Jem couldn't help but lean forward, afraid that he might miss a single note. Then, Cecily opened her mouth to sing.

_The shushing of your voice and the beat of your heart,_

_Is something I cannot comprehend,_

_Must I tell you that I feel like I'm flying?_

_Must I let you know that I will be here?_

_Because maybe, just maybe,_

_We can be true to ourselves,_

_That we don't need to lie,_

_About anything else._

She finished the song, pursing her lips together on that last note. Jem smiled again, he stared at her for a while. He thought of nothing and said nothing, Cecily gave a brief smile as she shifted uneasily in her seat, and she drew her fingers away from the keys and placed them on her lap, clenching her skirts under her fists. Jem looked hastily looked away in embarrassment.

"Will wrote that?" He asked in a small voice, she nodded.

"I transferred his lyrics to the piano. I never showed him my music version."

"Well, it's beautiful." Jem breathed. "You should show him sometime."

She shrugged as she stared at her reflection glistening on the piano keys. Whenever she would perform something in front of her brother, he would always give her bad criticism and nothing good would come out of it. And the sad thing was, she believed him. It made her so unsure that the people complimenting her talent were saying the truth.

"Tessa and I were thinking…" He said slowly, glancing at her long, elegant fingers gliding up and down slowly on the keys. "If you could play at our banquet after the wedding."

Cecily's eyes went wide. "You can't be serious."

"I am." Jem said in assurance. "We just want to know what pieces you will be playing."

"I never played before a large group of people before. " She said nervously, running her palms against her skirts. She was embarrassed, most little girls would have their piano recitals when they reached the age of seven. But she was fifteen, and never in her life she had one piano recital.

"I'm not forcing you to do it Cecily." He said, sensing her nervousness. "Just put it into consideration, tell me if you've made up your mind."

She nodded as she glanced at his violin case.

"Now," She started, clearing her voice. "I heard that you needed help writing lyrics of your own. Is that correct?"

.oO0Oo.

_Tessa stood firmly on the ground, her hair was tangling itself in the wind as he skirts were billowing in the dry air. She was in the library and it was a mess in there. Bookshelves were toppled over, books stacked themselves unevenly while their pages flipped violently due to the pressure of the wind and broken fragments of glass were scattered on the carpet. In front of her was a small balcony, it's doors wide open and it's curtains dancing in the wind. He eyes glared a menacing look at the figure in front of her. Red hair seemed like a huge spark of bright flame floating randomly in the air._

_Juliette's whip curled on her fingers like a long snake. She smiled as she pranced forward like a cat toward her. _

"_You don't belong here." She hissed, her voice clear against the wind._

_A lump formed in Tessa's throat. "I thought you said that we were sisters."_

_Juliette snarled as she barred her teeth. She could see the tips of her fangs, gleaming like polished pearls. "Sisters? We are not close, we don't even know each other."_

" _I want to help you." Tessa said pleadingly._

_Her eyes flared with resentment. "Don't even try to play nice with me. There's nothing that you could possibly do to make me love you." _

"_Julie-"_

"_Why did you get all the glory?" She cried in anger. "Why did you get all the attention? I was always in the dark but no one noticed! I didn't want it to be this way! You don't deserve any of it!" She screamed, pulling her hair in frustration._

_Tessa stepped forward without hesitation and held her arm gently. "Please, tell me." She said soothingly, her voice breaking. Juliette tried to shake her off, but Tessa gripped on her arm. _

"_No! No!" She screamed. Tears began to went her face. "No!"_

_In horror, Tessa watched the whip curled on Juliette's wrist transform into a snake. It's tongue flickered at her as her 'sister' kept on screaming louder and louder. Tessa tried to let go of her arm but somehow she couldn't, the snake slithered onto her wrist as it bit her. Venom began to course in her veins as she screamed in agony. She fell off the balcony and plunged into the cold water beneath her-_

Tessa bolted upright in her chair. Panting hard as she steadied herself, she repeatedly told herself that it was only a dream. After coaxing herself for a couple of minutes, she leaned back onto her chair and closed her eyes for a second. Her breathing was labored, her chest falling and rising rapidly. She was still in the library and the book that she was currently reading had fallen to the floor. Tessa picked it up and bookmarked the place where she left off and put it aside, rubbing her eyes and getting a hold of her vicious nightmare. She glanced at the clock to find that it five o'clock, an hour before dinner.

She still had recollections of her nightmare. Things that shouldn't be remembered, she took a quick glance at the library to make sure everything was in order, that no bookshelf was overturned and no books were scattered on the ground. She glanced in front of her and to her own relief she realized there was no balcony, only a window shut closed with cotton curtains. She remembered Juliette standing there, screaming words that Tessa didn't understand. She remembered that snake that bit her, and that venom sending painful shivers everywhere. She shuddered at the memory of the snake bite.

Tessa leaned further back into the chair and thought about her first encounter of Juliette. She was praying that it would be her last, she wouldn't have to face such a bad mouthed lady. She remembered her silky, wavy red hair and her mean, cat like eyes. Her reflexes as smooth and stealthy as a predator looking for its prey, she remembered being on top of the balcony trying to defend herself against her. It was quite a thrill for Tessa, enough to make her heart stop. She remembered Juliette saying those words, that sentence that froze her blood and sent her mind spiraling down into a frenzy of questions.

_What a thing to say to your sister._

Sister?! Tessa had no siblings. She already excepted the fact that Nate was not her brother, but a _sister?_ Tessa would have known that she had a sister. Surely Juliette was lying to her to get her off balance. She tried to think of a time where she could remember a familiar red haired girl, but she came up with nothing. Tessa came up with some theories, but she believed none of them. If Juliette was really her sister, she would be the key to everything Tessa didn't understand about her background. But Juliette didn't seem like the person that would help her out.

She wondered why Juliette was so cruel to her, why she wanted to kill her, why she was working for Mortmain. Wouldn't she be excited to see a sister that she hadn't seen in a while? Tessa didn't have answers for any of these and it annoyed her. Should she hate Juliette? They were opponents in the same game after all.

She shook her head free of thinking and set her eyes on the book and the door. She wondered If anyone came in here and found her sleeping. She hoped not, she was known for talking in her sleep, and only the angel knows what words have slipped from her lips. Sophie could have come in to do some cleaning, or Will. She bit her tongue at the thought of Will seeing her sleep, she was worried if he heard anything while she was sleeping. Hopefully she didn't say his name.

The door opened without warning as Tessa jumped in alarm. Sophie came in as she smiled and curtsied before her.

"Almost time for dinner Miss." She said. "Let's go to your room and fix you up."

Tessa nodded as both girls headed upstairs to prepare for dinner. Sophie had Tessa sit on a chair as she picked out a dress for her. Then Sophie began to comb her hair. Tessa was lost in her own thoughts as she did her hair, but she was interrupted when the brush began to rattle on her skull, a small trembling movement. Tessa looked at the mirror to see Sophie's face. Her eyes were glued onto her hair, but she could see the sadness in her brown eyes. She could see faint bags under her eyes as her unsteady hand combed her hair. Then Tessa remembered about Gideon and what Sophie had for him. Her heart heavied in pity.

"Sophie, are you alright?" She asked slowly.

Her eyes met the mirror and put on a wary smile. "I'm fine miss. You needn't to worry about me."

"Are you certain? You look very tired." Tessa stated.

Sophie smiled again. "It's awfully nice that you asked, but Miss, I'm alright."

Tessa frowned. She wondered how a girl so fragile looking could hold such an amount of pain.

"If you want, we could talk about it." She said gently. "I'm not going to force you."

Sophie stopped combing her hair. She hid her face in her cap. "I don't want my mistress to be bothered my problems."

Tessa turned around but she didn't meet her gaze. "Sophie, you have been my friend and you have helped me when I was in need." She took her hands. "Now I want to help you."

She went silent for a while, still hiding her face with her cap. When she opened her mouth to say something, Tessa almost missed it since her voice was so small.

"You know don't you?" She asked in her timid voice. Tessa knew what she meant.

"I do." She responded. "how do you feel?"

Sophie didn't speak. Her lips were trembling before she could break into tears. Tessa stood up and wrapped her arms around her, making soothing noises to calm her down.

"_Oh, Sophie."_ She whispered. "I am so sorry. I know your feelings toward him."

Sophie pulled away, she had only cried a little bit since most of her tears came from yesterday. She sniffed as she stepped back and regained her posture.

"_Miss." _She said softly. "How can you love someone that you don't trust?"

"I'm afraid it's up to you to find the answer." Tessa said "You are strong and selfless Sophie. I know that you can work your way through this."

She smiled as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Thank you." She said. She picked up the brush and finished combing her hair into an elegant bun. "Look at me, crying is useless. It wastes so much time." She sniffed. "Alright, I think that's it Miss, let's go downstairs to have something to eat."

Together, both of them descended down the staircase into the dining room where the others were. While they were walking, Tessa decided to pop a question. She looked at Sophie, she was the only friend that Tessa could possibly trust. Jessamine was Tessa's friend as well, but she didn't trust her advice or opinion wholeheartedly.

"Sophie." She started off slowly.

"Yes Miss?" She asked, the redness of her face was starting to disappear.

"Do you see any Juliette in me?"

Sophie smiled. "Not at all."

Tessa smiled back. "That's a relief to hear."

"But" she added. "Since we are talking about that lady, I don't think that she was born to be so cruel. I think that something or someone made her that way, there's something important about her that we don't know."

"What made you believe that?" I challenged her.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at me. "I began to believe it when Master Will started to be kind to me."

**Can you guess what line I used from the mortal instruments? :)**


	20. Let's meet and flirt

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

"_Nephilim is fixed you worthless shadowhunters!" _The demon hissed as it sank to the ground, drowning in its own venom. Its pupils swam around the whites of its eyes frantically as it gave a sickening, gurgling sound when it finally disappeared. The only evidence of the existence of the demon was the clothes it left behind.

Will wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he twirled his seraph blade with his fingers. The venom burned holes in the blade, since he forgot to get it blessed the other day. He took a disapproving glance at his weapon before tossing it away. The poison left behind an awful odor, more horrible than a skunk's. If you got some on yourself, it's a hundred percent guaranteed that you'll smell bad for a whole month. Luckily, Will didn't have any on him.

He took a brief scan of the place before leaving the room and moving on to the others. He was back in the dark sisters' manor, more like a prison that last time he came here to rescue Tessa. It was still the same, nothing out of order. He was in the grand foyer where everything was coated in a double layer of dust and cobwebs. Chairs and tables were covered in white cloth and the floor was deep in grime. The windows had been bordered up with wooden planks to keep sunlight from getting in, a perfect place for vampires to hang out. But now, it used to be a home for a _Dregann _demon, where it was taking care of its nests where it was home to thousands of _Dregann _demons, and Will was yet to find out where that was.

He began to walk through the first corridor that spotted his eye. It was narrow, full of cobwebs and dust, the planks beneath were creaking loudly wherever he stepped. Will put his hand on another seraph blade that hung to his belt as he advanced forward, he passed small rooms that looked like tiny dining rooms and locked doors. Then he found a peculiar looking door right in front of him, it was a white door with rusted hinges and a doorknob that looked like it was about to fall off. He touched hesitantly with his fingertips, with a swift motion it creaked open. Will opened the door to find stairs that led down, it was dark in there too and it looked ominous. He turned back, deciding if he should enter. Pearl was upstairs, searching around. _I think she should be alright. _He took out his witch light and made his first step down.

It looked like the stairs were about it give in at any minute. Every time the wooden planks beneath him gave a loud squeal, his heart would skip a beat. He willed the witch light to burn even brighter and it did. He and Pearl were supposed to find anything pertaining to Mortmain, anything at all that we lead them closer to him. Charlotte sent them out, even though Will disagreed, the last time he was here he and Jem had found nothing at all, only an automan by the name of Miranda. He wondered if there were any automans down there, and if they were, he would be greatly outnumbered.

Will jumped when his foot touched a flat, marble surface. He had reached the end of the stairs and survived, but there was no time to celebrate just yet. The stone in his hands shone only darkness; there was nothing to see on the other side. It was chilling to the bone, even though he was wearing a jacket over a jacket. His footsteps echoed through the dark corridor, he felt as if he was walking on thin ice.

He pulled his jacket closer. It was colder in here than it was outside. The light shone on the visible air he exhaled. He shivered.

"_The ninth circle of hell is cold. In the Inferno, Hell is cold. It's covered in ice."_

He swore when that little piece of memory entered his mind. Tessa basically lived inside his brain, talking to him all the time and he would listen, as if she was his conscience. He swore again, pulled his jacket closer and told Tessa to shut up.

The light shone upon a surface. His eyes widened, he had come across a door. He walked closer to find the doorknob, it was freezing to the touch and it was rusted shut. He took out his stele and drew an opening rune. The knob sizzled as it sputtered open in defeat. He pushed the door open with a heave and found himself in blinding light. He squinted his eyes to find a room that looked like a torture place where they would make automen. Metal tables were everywhere, strange looking devices scattered the room and the windows weren't bordered shut, sunlight glimmered thought the windows, and sitting on a tall wooden crate there was a figure. The sunlight made her hair look like it was on fire; the creature licked its lips and smiled.

"You." Will snarled as he took out his seraph blade. Juliette came out of the darkness so he could see her face. She wore traditional shadowhunter uniform and in her gloved hands was a whip, possibly a replacement for the one Tessa broke in Lady Esther's manor.

She stepped forward. "I believe we haven't met before." She said in a pleasant voice. "But I think I know you."

"What an honor." Will muttered under his breath. "Am I really that famous?"

"Arrogant, I see." Juliette observed. "But what a handsome man you are to have such a fowl mouth."

"Me? A fowl mouth you say." He said slyly."Why, look who's talking."

He smiled as he saw bitterness in her eyes.

"My name is Juliette."

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"I see that you do not wish to give me your name." She said as she drifted off to the left. Behind her was a small, wooden door. _Fool, _Will snickered; she was obviously guarding something important behind that door. He watched her eyes flicker above him. He caught a glimpse of someone behind me through a broken mirror.

"That makes the both of us. I and your little friend." He said.

Juliette's mouth twitched in annoyance. "Have you met Sergei?"

"No, but perhaps if he'll come down I'll invite him for a cup of tea sometime. We could be the best of friends."

He was surprised when she broke in a small laugh. "Do you hear that Sergei? Perhaps you learn to open your mouth more." She looked at Will. "He's awfully silent."

"I see that." He responded.

Juliette looked back at Sergei. "Go and check up on his friend that he brought along. I would hate it if she missed all the fun."

Will bit his lip as he heard the door slam shut behind them. She put her eyes back onto Will; she looked up and down, licking her lips as she flipped her red, flaring hair.

"No wonder Tessa has eyes for you." She said in an intentionally seductive voice. "Radiant blue eyes, strong throat, thick eyelashes, and who can imagine what lies beneath those layers of clothing…"

He swallowed every single joke that surfaced to his tongue. "Observant, aren't you?"

Juliette smiled as she took a step closer to him. He went stiff when he could feel the warmth of her body radiate on his skin. Her breath stirred when she leaned forward to whisper something in his ear.

"Aren't Tessa and I alike? No wonder we are sisters." She whispered.

Anger boiled inside him as he gripped his seraph blade. _You are nothing like Tessa, _he thought angrily. Juliette smiled at his fury and used it to her advantage.

"Too bad that I hate her…" She said in a mocking-sort-of tone. "I just realized something funny. Tessa has _no one. _Nate hates her, I hate her, I bet her parents and her aunt killed themselves off just to be rid of her, I mean, I wouldn't blame them-"

_Don't Will. _He thought as he gritted his teeth. _This is exactly what she wants._

"-She is a little whore to deal with after all."

The door creaked open as Sergei came in with a tied up Pearl in his arms. He threw her to the floor as he stood by Juliette. Will bent down to try to ease Pearl.

"And don't even get me started on. '_She has someone. Me, I love her' _Blah, Blah, Blah nonsense. You should hate her." She said in a harsh tone.

"And why is that?" He said in a bitter tone.

"Didn't you tell her that you loved her? Then she rejected you flatly and went to get married to your _best friend?" _

She must've knew through Gideon and that was the last straw.

Pearl read the fury in Will's eyes. In a muffled voice, blocked by a dirty handkerchief, she yelled. "No Will! This is what she wants you to do! It's all planned out!"

He ignored her as he lunged toward Juliette. She snickered as she managed to catch his blade by whirling her whip around it and yanking it off from his strong grip. Will stumbled forwards as Juliette lashed her whip at him. Pain flickered through his chest in an awful sting, before she could lash her whip at him again; he slid on the ground to retrieve his weapon to block her attack. Sergei stepped in and began to work his pointed sword at him, it was quite the workout for Will but he managed to hold them off. Before Sergei could pin him to the wall with his weapon, Will caught his thin blade with his hilt and used his other hand to snap it in half, to get him out of the way he kicked him in the chest and sent him flying to the wall. Juliette ignored Sergei and continued her restless attacks. She swung the whip at his head as he ducked; he swung his weapon in return and managed to cut a small wound on her calf.

She scowled as she touched her wound, her hand was covered in blood, but then she regained her pleasant looking face, a way to mock him that it didn't bother her. She hopped on top of the stacked wooden crates near the window and smiled at him as she bled. She watched as he untied the wound up girl in a matter of three seconds.

"Going so soon?" Pearl asked.

"I have other things to attend to." She responded in a bored tone. "But don't worry; I left the best for last. A little entertainment I and the magister arranged."

"I don't think we could accept such a gift." Will replied.

"Well, too bad." Juliette pulled out a small device and pressed something. A loud, rumbling sound filled the room, shaking it. The sound of machinery and a loud creaking noise entered their ears painfully. Juliette smiled and smashed the window open. "Have fun." She said as she slipped out into the daylight. Moments before she was gone, Sergei opened his eyes to realize her absence, and before Will and Pearl knew it, he vanished also.

Will could sense something evil locked away behind that wooden door. The door thudded with a hard bang as the ground they stood on vibrated. Pearl stood beside them as they both readied themselves. They watched the door thud one more time before bursting open. The wooden door flung itself at them as they dodged it before it skidded to a stop, then something emerged from the darkness. Will almost thought that it was a human, since its movements were so graceful and the figure looked nothing like a robot. But when it came into the daylight, Will and Pearl almost dropped their weapons.

It was Tessa.

Her unmistaken stormy gray eyes, her flowing chocolate brown hair, her slender tall figure, it was all there. They couldn't find a single thing that screamed automan in her. She cocked her head and blinked at them. Then she opened her mouth.

"_The magister will have your head." _It said, even her voice seemed like Tessa's

Behind her came others like her. Multiple Tessas around them, then it came to be the appearance of Jem, Charlotte, Henry, Jessamine, Gideon, Cecily, Sophie, even replicas of Will and Pearl. They were starting to close in on them as they repeated the same sentence that the first Tessa had said.

"By the angel." Pearl gasped. "The magister has completely gone mad."

Will didn't say anything. She turned to a Tessa and slashed her weapon on her, working on disabling her. She knew that all of these were automen and she wasn't going to be fooled by their appearances. Will snapped out of his trance and started to work too. All of them were the same; all of them had the same weak spots: their heads. He wanted to vomit; cutting open all of his loved ones seemed to knot his stomach even tighter. Especially Tessa and Jem, the more they destroyed, the more they came.

"Will!" Pearl yelled through the sound of machinery. He managed to get near her and chop off their heads as well.

"There's too many!" She yelled. "We can't hold them back any longer!"

He knew that this was true, they wouldn't last very long since there were so many coming their way. He finished one of them off before creating a bit of space for himself. He looked around the torture room to find something that he could use to finish them all. He had to think fast, the automen were noticing him and started to close on him. _Grenades wouldn't do, the neighbors would be mortified…_

He looked up and saw something incredible. On the rooftop, was the _Dregann _nest. It was just like a spider's nest of babies, only bigger. It was held by dried venom so the nest wouldn't fall down, he remembered the affects of poison, it had the power to burn through flesh and bone, and then a plan formulated in his mind. He ran to Pearl, slicing Mortmain's robots on the way.

"Pearl!" He yelled, she looked at him as he pointed up. She looked at his direction and made an _oh _with her mouth. She nodded at his plan in approval as she began to near him. Will helped fend off the automen from getting close to them. When they neared the exit, Will opened the door and pushed Pearl inside, He grabbed his remaining seraph blade and flung the weapon as high and hard as he could to the next. But when he let go, one of the automen, Tessa, slashed his arm, leaving a long wound. He winced at the pain. He tried to ignore the pain, as his blade stuck successfully in the next as it sliced it open. The venom seeped out of next, carrying thousands upon thousands of unborn demon babies. The venom spilled onto the automen as it burned them. Will smiled wickedly as he closed the door behind him and snatched Pearl's arm as they ran upstairs.

Will lead her into the grand foyer where they burst out of the mansion. There, in the corner, Cyril was waiting for them. They jumped into the carriage as Will barked at him to **drive. **Both of them leaned against their seats, as they tried to catch their breaths. When Pearl managed to keep the air circulating around her, she could finally talk clearly; she glanced at Will's injured arm.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

He looked at his cut; blood was running down his arm in tiny droplets. A spark of a familiar memory came into his attention.

"_You cut me. It might be fatal."_

"_Are you the magister?"_

He ignored it again to answer Pearl. "One of the automatons cut me while I flung my seraph blade at the nest." He glanced at the wound again, pulling out his steel to heal it-

"_You-you've come bursting into my room, scaring me nearly to death, and now you demand to know my name? What on earth's your name? And who are you, anyway?"_

"_My name is Herondale. William Herondale, but everyone calls me-"_

_Shut up. _Will's voice commanded. _The person controlling my memories, shut-the-bloody-hell-up._

.oO0Oo.

Jessamine stared into the black and grayish streets of London. The fog surrounded her small cracked window of her room which obscured her vision. She simply wiped them down with her frail fingers and sighed. London was not a very beautiful place to live in. It was not the sunniest and the cleanest place in the world but it was her home where she grew up in. She lived near a park and a store that she could visit to for groceries from time to time. Trees swayed in the calm breeze and children played amongst themselves in the park tagging themselves or falling down in the grass. The sky was gray as usual with some geese flying. There was no sign of the sun.

She watched a young couple walk together with smiles on their faces and talking. Jessamine envied them, they looked happily wed (hopefully properly wed as well), lived in an exquisite home and had darling little children, all of thing that Jessamine would never have, but only to dream of. Her eyes lingered on the two as they disappeared from her sight. In her palm, were small wooden dolls of her mother and father. Both painted and faded, like the memories she kept with her all the time in her heart. She wondered what papa and mama would think of her, would they be proud? Do they miss her? Did they forget her? She missed their guidance, she missed their love, something that Charlotte and Henry could never give fully.

Jessamine stared at the dollhouse perched on the top of her dresser. It had been with her for more than five years. It seemed foolish to own dolls and dollhouse at her age, but it was the only thing she had left of her family. She could never let it go, nor would she let anyone touch or remove anything from it. She stood up from her chair and went to put her mother and father back. As she went to return to her chair, she looked at the mirror. Her scarlet dress was still intact, still looking fresh and new. Her sunshine hair was knotted perfectly into a bun, not one hair out of place. Her face seemed sharp and decent. She always had a habit of looking into the mirror too often.

At the tip of the mirror, there was her designer, floral hat perched quietly on top. Her eyes glanced at the window again before resting finally on the hat. In a minute, she decided to go out today for some fresh air before lunch. She had been cooped inside in the institute for so long, and it seemed that getting some fresh air was a way of refreshing herself. She picked up her hat, grabbed her yellow shawl, and headed out of her room. Most of the hallways were empty since most of the shadowhunters were out training or doing errands for Charlotte. She was the only one not doing anything, and really, she didn't care one bit.

She spotted Tessa reading quietly in the library, as usual. There was no sign of Will which seemed to surprise her. Whenever there was Tessa, there was usually Jem or Will around. She sniffed as she draped the shawl around her. What made Tessa is attractive? She wasn't really that pretty, too tall, too slim, to big the eyes and what's up with that shade of gray? There was nothing particularly interesting about her either. But, Will and Jem seemed to constantly follow her around. She knew about that endless love triangle that transpired between the three. Jessamine was surprised about Jem and Tessa's marriage, Jem knew that he was going to die soon so why marry when it would be only a short period of time? It seemed unreasonable. And Will, she didn't give a damn about him. He doesn't deserve any happiness, with that fowl mouth and all. What in the world did Tessa see him to make her fall in love with him? _Perhaps there is a shallow side to Tessa after all. _Jessamine thought. _Perhaps it was just the fact of Will's looks._

She slipped out of the institute before anyone could see her and walked into the daylight. Jessamine merged into the loose crowd as she made her way to the park. She wouldn't take that long, perhaps she'll take an hour or two, before lunch. As soon as she crossed the street, she arrived at the park. She smiled as she began to walk, enjoying the breeze and the togetherness of the Londoners. Something in Jessamine began to unfold, the feeling she would always get whenever she would go shopping for clothes.

"Miss Lovelace?"

She turned around dazedly to meet a pair of sharp, green eyes. Her lips pulled into a tight frown. _My day is officially ruined. _She thought.

She cleared her voice. "Fancy meeting you here Mr. Lightwood."

Gabriel walked beside her, dressed in casual attire. "Actually, I'm more surprised that you're out. You don't seem like the kind of person to like." He gestured to the tall trees. "_Nature."_

She crossed her arms. "Are you here to spite me Mr. Lightwood? I'm not in the mood."

He took off his top hat and brushed it briefly before placing it back on top of his head. "If you'd like to know, I'm just here to reset my mind. It's not like you would know how much stress I've put up with."

Jessamine raised one of eyebrows and looked at him, keeping her head high. "Like preparing meals for your father? Giving him a bath?"

He scowled."Like a said, Its not like you would know how much stress I've put him with." He sighed. "Anyway, may I ask what are you doing here on this fine evening?"

"Walking." She said simply."Just like you."

"Well, may I accompany you?" He offered, lending his arm. She looked at it reluctantly before turning away. She didn't really want to walk or talk with Gabriel, it seemed odd to be talking with one of your mentors for training. But, she liked company, so she took his arm.

"How is your father?" She asked plainly.

"Fine, but he isn't managing well since everyone is making a mockery out of him." He responded, he looked at her "How is my brother?"

She stopped and thought about Gideon's betrayal. It didn't seem like Gabriel knew, but she quickly decided that she wouldn't tell him. "Fine."

He nodded slowly. "How are the training lessons?"

She tried so hard not to laugh. Jessamine had been skipping all of the lessons. "Quite alright."

"I bet they aren't the same when I dropped out." He snickered. He dropped out because he needed to take care of his father.

Jessamine tossed her hair. "You know, you and Will could be the best of friends." She watched his quirky attitude pull back into a scowl.

"Don't you _ever_ compare me to that Herondale boy." He hissed. "I am nothing like him."

Even though she didn't agree, she nodded slowly. "At least we agree on something. We both hate Will Herondale."

He gave out a small laugh. "You can say that again."

Jessamine's cheeks flushed. She had never been so close to anyone before, and maybe it way because she never let anyone in. But, _Gabriel? _She flushed at the idea of 'being' with him. She knew that she wasn't the same ever since Nate died…

He studied her face. "You aren't attending any of the training lessons aren't you?"

She blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Because you're not that type of person to engage in Nephilim related matters." He reasoned.

She whisked her hand away in dismissal. "I just think that-"

"That women shouldn't be participating in a man's job. Women shouldn't be fighting, they should be at home with their husbands and making their lives pleasurable. Woman shouldn't read, shouldn't play an instrument, drink…" He trailed off, looking at her in a amused sort of way.

"So you have been listening to me." Jessamine said in triumph. "So you must agree."

"Some of it." He mumbled under his breath. "You make women sound degrading."

"Am I? I'm just trying to remind everyone what is the laid out role for women." She returned his gaze. "What are women to you?"

"Can't keep their mouths and opinions closed." He finished, expecting her to strangle him in the last minute, but she stood still.

"At least your answer is better than the Herondale boy."

"And what would his answer be?"

"Women are sex objects and sex objects only."

"So is Tessa…?"

"Exactly."

He smiled at her. "You put on a good show." Before she could say something, a loud chime rang in their ears. Gabriel pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Dear me, I need to go before my old man starts to send the police after me." He turned to Jessamine. "Perhaps we will meet each other again? Maybe a cup of tea or a sandwich if you'd like."

Jessamine smiled brightly. "That would be nice."

"Until then." He said as he tipped his hat towards her. "I enjoyed our little talk." He said as he began to walk back. Jessamine turned to watch him disappear among the crowd.

_I enjoyed it too. _Jessamine's thoughts whispered.

**I wanted a bit of Jessamine in the story…SHE DESERVES LUV TOO!...so I paired her up with Gabriel, (Yes, I know most of you ship GabrielxCecily, but hey, this couple might work out too!) remember, two negatives equal a positive. (oh gob, that sounded so corny..)**


	21. I'd die a little bit more

**Hi! Sorry for the incredibly long wait. I had writers block :P, and…yeah. I just got the Clockwork Angel manga and i'm so exciteeeeed! Will and Jem look awesome (Tessa's hair is ****so ****long) I'm trying to picture an infernal devices anime, oh gosh that would super cool :) And again, sorry for the wait!**

Tessa looked at the mirror for quite a long time. Her reflection bore into her as the sparkling gold of her dress glinted in the sunlight seeping across her bedroom. It wasn't that she was checking to see if she looked alright, no wrinkles in her dress, not one hair out of place, nothing out of the ordinary with her face. It was because the day had finally come, and when since she was little she always dreamed of this day to come. She closed her eyes and breathed out through her nose, it wasn't the day just yet. Pearl, Sophie, Pippa, Jessamine, Cecily and the other few ladies in the institute were altering her dress, and it was almost done. They just needed to make a few adjustments, measurements and finishing touches.

While the girls were fixing her dress, she took the time to admire the beauty of the dress. The soft, golden fabric extended past her feet, to the ground, and draped itself two meters if she was walking down the aisle. A transparent, fabric that held tiny glints of sparkling gold covered it all with floral designs mixed with shadowhunter marks. The bodice had the golden floral design as well, with accented black vintage designs mixing with the gold. Her shoulders were bare and there were no puffed up sleeves, it was just a transparent sleeve with the golden lacing wrapping around her arms, ending it off with it loosely at her elbows. Her neck held the jade peony necklace that Jem gave her as her engagement present. But, since this was all an act, Tessa had shadowhunter garb underneath the dress. Pearl helped alter the dress. There was a clasp attached to the bodice and the fabric of the dress below, and if she unclasped it, it would reveal a pair of trousers and boots. Luckily, Pearl designed the bodice to be flexible, since there was going to be a lot of running and all for the wedding.

And it wasn't going to be a _real _wedding. It would be a fake one, a surprise set up for Mortmain and his infernal creatures. The real wedding would take place after Mortmain and his machines would be destroyed, when the whole matter would settle down so it would be much safer. But still, in the dress, it felt like the day had already come. She watched the girls in the mirror touch her dress, pinning it up with needles to hold it in place, their fingers frantically trying to pull her skirts a bit up so that they could adjust the bottom skirts by thread. For a few minutes, the girls backed away from the dress, admiring Tessa and their work.

Pearl clapped her hands together in satisfaction. "I think." She started. "That we did a fairly well done job ladies. We made Tessa look like an angel princess."

Tessa scoffed at the name silently. _Angel princess? _The compliment felt over exaggerated that it made her laugh.

"Oh, if Jem was only here." Cecily sighed.

"That will only be when Tessa and Jem's time comes." Pippa added strictly.

"Quite right." Sophie added. "If he saw you now, it won't be the same reaction when the wedding really does take place." Tessa smiled at Sophie.

"And Mortmain wouldn't see it coming." Pearl said eagerly, she reached up and unclasped the mechanism that held the bodice and the fabric of the dress from waist down. The heavy, golden trim fabric fell to the floor, revealing a pair of trousers, a belt that would carry numerous weapons, and laced up boots. Pearl sighed as she thought how surprised Axel Mortmain would be when he thought Tessa didn't come prepared.

"And yet it took us three weeks to make this." Jessamine said in a dull tone. "But, I guess all of the needle pricks and strained backs were worth it."

"They were." Tessa agreed, she turned herself around to meet them, her back against the mirror. "Thank you all for helping out with my dress, it's so beautiful."

They smiled at her in thanks. Pearl walked over to her and turned her around to face her angle. She cocked her head as she patted the lower part of the bodice, where the stomach was and had her turn around once more where the back lacing was done.

"Ah." Pearl said. "It seems that we have one more adjustment to do. The lacing here is ripped, we need another replacement." She looked at Sophie. "You wouldn't mind popping into a store or two to get some lace?"

Sophie smiled as she curtsied. "It would be my pleasure." The girls said goodbye as Sophie slipped out of the door.

Pearl turned to Tessa and clasped back on the fabric of the dress. "We can help you out of the dress now. It must have been exhausting having to stand up for a long time."

Tessa turned around and stared at her dress in the mirror. "No, I would like to stay in it for a while." She said quietly as she ran her fingers through the soft fabric.

She nodded. "Very well, just holler if you want to get out of it." Pearl turned her attention towards the girls."Come on now, let's leave Miss. Gray alone." And with that, the door clicked shut.

As soon as Tessa was alone, thoughts began to whirl in her head, gears were turning. Even thought it wasn't her wedding day, there was a rush of adrenaline and anxiety bubbling in the middle of her stomach. The dress made something out of her; it was like taking a faded wooden sculpture and refurnishing it again to make it look new. She clutched the skirts of her dress as she twirled it around. It was heavier than most of her dresses. She knew that all shadowhunter brides had different designs for their own dresses, she wondered if they felt the same adrenaline and the same anxiety as her. She could just picture going to Idris right now, marching in into the Accords Hall. With Jem waiting for her by the altar, dressed up with the finest suit, his bright eyes staring at her, the crowd staring at the blushing bride with the most gorgeous wedding dress, what a rush…

Tessa was so deep in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when the door creaked open. She turned around to only be overcome by dread and absolute fear, and she could swear that he could see it in her eyes. She clutched the fabric of her dress tighter as the palms began to grow clammy. She turned around to face the mirror, even if she could see his reflection in the mirror. Tessa grew very still as her chest heaved.

Will stepped forward hesitantly, as if he didn't want to come near her. His Adam's apple moved as if he there was something hard to swallow. His eyes bored into her reflection and Tessa could feel his gaze run to her head to the bottom fabric of the dress. To Will, it looked like she was wearing sunlight. He hastily took his eyes off of her and set them on the wall.

"Your book order came in." He said. "It arrived a few minutes ago." He walked towards her. The beat of her pulse quickened even more from each step her took. But instead of giving it to her, he placed it on her nightstand.

"Thank you" She responded simply, straightening herself up. "I take it yours hasn't arrived yet?"

"No." He said. There was an edge to his voice as if he was trying to hide something.

They stood there in the silence that they hated, the same one that always was shared between them. She looked at him in the mirror, his blue eyes shied away from her, unwilling to return her gaze. It reminded her of the tale of Medusa in a way. As if Will was Medusa and Tessa was looking at his reflection, knowing that a direct glance at him would turn her into stone, or, make her insides feel as they turned into stone, she kept her eyes on the mirror.

Oh, but she couldn't just stand there in his presence. _She knew she needed to say something._

"Great expectations." She started with a dry voice. "Is a work of art."

He looked puzzling at her. "You bought it? When you could have simply borrowed it from the library?"

"The copy in the library is destroyed. The ink is fading, the front cover is ruined, and some informative and very important pages have gone missing. It's falling apart." She replied. "I bought it to replace it."

"That's very considerate of you."

Tessa didn't smile, nor did she speak. _Where in the world is this conversation going? _She wondered, but she kept her mouth going, as if there was a purpose for her to speak to him. It was as almost she forcing herself to speak to Will, when really, she was afraid of him. She stared into the mirror, trying to read any expression in his eyes, but he wouldn't turn to face her. "It's questionable." She stated dryly. "Charles Dickens left us hanging, did Pip ever forgive Estella?"

His blue eyes grew solemn as he angled his head to the wall."That answer to your question is in the minds of the readers itself. I don't think that he left us hanging at all, perhaps there was a subconscious message that Pip never spoke of Estella again."

"Care to elaborate?" Tessa challenged.

"I do believe that apologies are out of the question. They never quarreled about the return of Estella's love. I think that Estella cared for him, but something was holding her back so she couldn't express her love freely. On the other hand, Pip assumed that Estella simply didn't love him back and was ready to move after all of time that he tried to win his affection. The loss of love expressed in the story was so great to Pip that he didn't find anyone he wanted to be with." He said carefully.

"Then what of Estella? Surely she was affected in a way that Pip just walked away from her."

"I think she was. Though she might seem strong on the outside, she can easily break in the inside. "

"What do you think would happen if Pip ever sees her again?"

"I believe that they will be silent, they won't be able to talk to each other again after what they've been through." He paused. "But alas, that is another story to be told."

She fell silent for a moment, Tessa found herself combing through her dress repeatedly, and it gave her some sort of comfort and relief in the tight atmosphere. "Then-" She swallowed before going any further. "I'm sorry, this might seem out of context, but…what is our story?"

Will blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak. _What exactly was their story? _It was a type of question that made you think over, search the past and present for a good enough answer. Luckily, he managed to conjure one up in his head. "Our story is…undecipherable. A story that leaves you hanging on every chapter, foreshadowing is evident on every line and you have no absolute clue what will happen next."

_Well said. _Tessa thought. "And are we on the same page?"

"We're on the same page, but we seem to keep on reading the same line over and over again."

Before Tessa could say anything, a knock interrupted them. "Master Will, Miss. Branwell would like a word with you in the drawing room." A pleasant Irish voice said, as they heard her footsteps distance themselves away from the door.

He grimly nodded towards her as she curtsied in his direction. Will opened the door and closed it silently behind her. Tessa tore her eyes from the mirror and glanced at the packaged book that he left her on the table. She picked it up and weighed it in her hands before tearing off the paper, there, was the new copy of _Great Expectations. _Full with unopened fresh pages and a smooth cover front to back. Tessa smiled as she put the book back onto the table as she called Pearl to help her undress. As soon as she helped her get out of the dress and back into her normal evening one, she headed out to search for Jem. She always had this urgent urge to see him whenever she encountered Will, like she needed him for protection. She wandered down the hall until she found his room. Beyond the creak of the opened door, he found him sitting on his desk writing something. He smiled at her affectionately as she came in. Tessa wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled against his skin.

"Writing music." He said simply as she watched him scribble notes on the staff.

"What's it called?"

"I'm marrying the most wonderful woman in the world and I can't believe she's mine."

She laughed. "Quite the title you have there. You might have to shorten it when it becomes famous." Tess watched him scribble some more notes on the paper with his feather quill."But really what is it called?"

"It's your song." He reminded her. "_Ta shi chong man lee gesheng-_She is filled with song."

"That reminds me, thank you again for going through all of that trouble in writing me a song." Tessa said playfully. Twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.

He looked at her, his silver irises growing fuller. He set down his feathered quill, stacked his papers neatly and put them in a pile near the edge of the desk. Jem drew his face closer to hers, she could feel his breath trickling her skin. Tessa looked into his eyes, and then setting them down onto his lips."You know." He said. "This song isn't for free." And with no hesitation at all he closed the gap between them, sealing her lips with a kiss.

Tessa's hands snaked onto his chest as they made their way up to cup the back of his head. She could feel his strong hands grip her waist as he pulled her to him. Her mind went hazy whenever Jem kissed her, like she couldn't think at all, she was completely lost in his world. Jem's kisses made her want another, he made her feel as if she was longing for something, a tug in her heart that kept pulling. She could taste the sweetness of the _yin fen _on his mouth as they grew deeper and deeper in their kiss. Finally, Jem pulled apart and held her close to him, resting his head on her hair.

"How was the dress fitting?" He asked softly as he rocked them back and forth.

"Exhausting." She replied. "But the dress that the girls made looked so gorgeous. I wish that you could've seen it."

"I guess I'll just have to wait an excruciating long period of time until the wedding." He said in a small laugh as he rested his forehead onto her eyes and continued to kiss.

.oO0Oo.

"Thank you Cyril, I'll be right back."

He nodded as he moved his carriage out of the curb of the street into the bustling streets of afternoon London. Sophie watched the carriage disappear from her sight, getting more anxious as people passed her by. She clutched her purse tightly and drew in a deep breath. She had never been this deep in London before, especially for a piece of lace. Sophie assured herself that Cyril would loop around just in time when she finished shopping. She drew out a memo from her purse, Pearl's perfect handwriting wrote out the directions to get to the specific clothing shop. She swallowed _Oh Sophie, you mustn't worry, nothing bad is going to happen. _Sophie took another deep breath before wandering out into the streets.

It was a busy afternoon. Ladies with evening gowns walked firmly onto the ground with their heads high with men wearing elegant attire accompanied them. Children clung closely to their loved ones while their eyes grew wide, looking at the big world. Beggars were in small, dark alleys, looking at the common folk while pleading for money and food. The sky was a light gray with a bit of sunshine out, and the air didn't smell so bad. Ahead of Sophie was a long line of shops and markets, with their white trim and bright colors to make up for the sad weather. She watched people in front of her, trying to distract herself from the panging worry that seemed to quicken her heartbeat. Sophie watched a tall young man, dressed in black talking to another chap, who was wearing gray. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she could easily make out what they were saying. She spotted a young girl with bright hair in two braids clap and laugh while her mother scolded her to be quiet. The little girl's eyes scanned the crowd, eventually staring at Sophie while she smiled a toothy grin. Something snapped her attention away from the little girl when something brushed her shoulder.

"Out of the way." A mellow voice commanded in a sharp tone. It was a lady with a huge fur coat, wearing diamond and gold earring while her hair was wrapped in a tight bun, accompanied by a weak looking man that was smaller than her. Sophie stared at the couple walking briskly among the crowd. She stared at how extravagant the woman's clothing were and looking down at her own dress. Did a light green dress with a bit of lace and a white shawl seem to plain? Feeling a little out of place, Sophie raised her head high as she took wide steps, holding the piece of paper in her hands.

When she glanced at the names of the streets, she had to literally push herself out of the thick crowd in order to follow Pearl's directions. The alley was a long one, and at the end was a white picket fence guarding a garden. She squinted, she didn't see anyone , anyone threatening to her. Sophie walked hastily through the alley before glancing at the paper again to see the next direction. Through the streets, she began to loosen a little. The little memo giving her more confidence, she walked through the streets like a pro, forcing down a proud smile. When she caught the sight of the shop, she grinned in satisfaction as she walked in. The owner of the shop looked at her.

"Do you by any chance have floral, golden lace?" She asked.

Within minutes, Sophie was done shopping. When she exited the shop she tucked the lace in her purse as she began to head onto the streets again, wearing the grin again. _Tessa's beautiful wedding dress will finally be finished! Oh, Miss Gray will be so happy! I wonder what Pearl thought of for the maids of honor, I bet she'll come up with some gorgeous with that imagination of hers-_

A sudden gust of wind blew through the street as Sophie pulled up her shawl and held her hat against the wind before passing. She lost grip of the paper as she hurried to catch it, but she was too late, it fell in a puddle. She bit her lip as she scurried to the puddle to snatch the paper from wetting any further. Sophie held the damp paper in her hands and squinted at the writing, it was completely smudged now and it was unreadable. She sighed as she dropped the paper back into the puddle. _How was she supposed to go back to Cyril now?_

_It's not so hard. _She thought. "I just need to retrace my steps from memory."

She wandered down the hallway, her lips tightening whenever she took a step forward. She took the streets that she thought she took to get to the shop, slowing her pace. Sophie was very worried, panic invaded her thoughts as she thought of bad possibilities of what might happen to her if she got lost. Sophie kept on checking every single street and going back because she felt so doubtful, until she wound in an alley, admitting that she was lost.

_Calm down _Sophie said in an assuring voice. _I just need to retrace my steps back-_

She froze when a sound of heavy footsteps invaded her ears. Sophie spun her head to find a dark figure walking sluggishly down the other end of the alley, the figure was followed by a group. Laughing and crude comments were exchanged as they drew near her. Her heart hammered against her chest as she began to turn around-

"Hey, lady!" a deep voice yelled. She froze in her tracks. It was too late, if she ran they would all catch up on her easily.

The figures walked closer to her. "Do ya have any pounds miss? My friends and I are chipper for a drink or so." She clutched her purse to her side, she didn't want to look at them as they approached her. She looked down, refusing to look at their faces. It was a man before her, wearing dirt covered trousers and a pair of beaten up boots. She leaned against the wall as the man drew closer to her as he touched her face with his grimy fingers.

"You're a pretty one." He commented, he reeked of tobacco. Sophie was shocked, they didn't see her scar, maybe it was because it was hidden in her hair.

"Perhaps I won't buy a drink." He said."Perhaps I'll just take her maidenhood." When he reached to touch the buttons bellow her neckline, she slapped his hand away and kicked him in the shin. He gave a screech as he looked at her. When Sophie began to run, his gang ran up to her and caught her by the arms and dragged her back to their leader. When she finally looked up, terror washed over her face and she could feel her heart stop. The face of their leader-

It was her old master.

"You horny bitch." He snarled, looking down at his injured shin, then he looked at her and a wave of amusement crossed his face. "Hey, I know you." He said, dark humor coating his voice. "You're that whore that refused my kind offers."

"They were not kind offers." She hissed, struggling against the men's grip on her arms. "Where is kind in attempted rape?"

He traced the scar on her cheek as she tried to lean back. "Has the scar done you well? It must have, you are such an unattractive hag."

She ignored the rude comment. In her thoughts flashed Gideon and it deeply angered her for some reason. "If you are so kind, you would let me go."

"Not until…" he trailed off as he produced a wicked blade from his coat, it was a switch blade, sharp enough to sever your head it one slice. The fine blade glimmered in the sunlight as he stared at her wickedly. "…I have some fun for myself." He lunged towards her and blindly slashed at her. Something warm and wet invaded her stomach, he cut a wide wound, and blood began to stain her dress. She yanked free of their grip as she tried to run away from them but he caught up. He pranced at her, but Sophie managed to punch him in the face, leaving a massive bruise on his cheek. He scowled as he whirled his knife and struck her again, she stumbled onto the ground as he hovered in front of her.

"You started all of this." He snarled. "If you followed my instructions, maybe you didn't have to live as a slut." And with that the knife came down, but…

It didn't hit her.

She blinked in surprise, everything was blurry. She blinked again and stared at the figure standing above her, it wasn't her master, but it was another man and he wasn't part of the group. Her eyes widened as tears began to fall, the knife had went through his back in a fine _shlick. _Hazy green eyes peered sorrowfully down at her before yanking the knife out of his body. Her master blinked in surprise as another _shlick _was heard, Gideon fell down as she saw Cyril stab her old master with a seraph blade. Gideon was at her feet, bleeding profusely.

"_Gideon." _She whimpered. "_What in the world are you doing here?"_

"He followed you in the streets." Cyril responded. "I found him sneaking up on you and decided to join him. When he found me, he said that he was worried about you." He bent down Gideon and pulled him to the side so he could breath more easily. He drew out a stele and began to draw runes of strength on his arm. Gideon's hazy green eyes peered to Sophie as she helped Cyril lift him up so he could lean on him. They limped slowly to the carriage which was on the other side of the corner, leaving Sophie's old master to crawl away and the rest of his gang to walk away. Sophie's heart was pounding with fear and overwhelming sadness. Gideon was worried about her, he followed her to make sure that she was alright, even though she thought that she broke his heart enough. And here, Gideon was bleeding to his death. Feelings of remorse came over and weakened her but she refused to cry, he needed her the most. The cut on her stomach was still bleeding also, but the wound was no more painful than seeing him die before her.

When they carried Gideon to the carriage, Cyril quickly drew runes on Sophie's arm for strength also. He stepped out of the carriage, tucking in his bloody shirt with his tail coat, removing his stained gloves. "It's a long trek to the institute Miss. Collins, you both will have to hold it for a while."

"Thank you Cyril. There's not enough words to say how grateful I am for your rescue."

He tipped his hat with a grim smile as he closed the carriage door behind him. The carriage jostled forward, beginning their long journey home. Sophie placed Gideon's head on her lap throughout the ride. His dull green eyes peering into her soul, she sniffed as she placed her handkerchief on his cut, sealing it from bleeding any further with her hand. He put his hand on top of hers, keeping it there.

"_Oh Gideon." _She whispered. "_How could you have done this to yourself?_"

He breathed unevenly; it was painful to watch him struggle to gasp for air. "I had to." He said quietly. "He was going to kill you."

She combed her fingers through his hair repeatedly. While she was holding back the tears. The fear that she felt in the alley with her old master was terrifying, but this, this was nothing compared to the fear that Gideon could die any moment, resting on her lap, speaking ever so softly at her.

"Please don't die." She croaked. "I do not want to go through the same agony again."

He said nothing as he continued to stare at her. Then he noticed the cut on her stomach, he snapped forward, only to wince in pain. Sophie settled him back down and continued to comb his hair with her fingers. "You're bleeding." He said. "He cut you before I came?"

She nodded. "It's nothing compared to yours. I'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered, her voice getting thicker. "I should have done something, I should have-"

"Shhh." He whispered. "Sophie, you did nothing wrong." A tear of blood pooled at the side of his mouth.

"Oh my heavens." She breathed through her sobs."You must hate me. After all of things I've put you through."

With his bloody hand he held hers, and with his other he held her cheek, wiping away all of the tears. "I know that my sins are unforgivable." He said."And I know that some part of you, you still don't forgive me. I am a traitor and I will be forever known that, and I would be forced to live with that guilt for the rest of my life, or perhaps, God will end my suffering-"

"Don't you dare say that!" She screeched, the hiccups of her sobs coating her throat, making it dry. "I refuse to let you die. You will live!"

A ghostly smile appeared on his face. "I'm not finished yet. Even though I am in pain, both inside and outside, I would push it all away in order to protect you." He whispered. "Even if you don't forgive me, I will protect you. No matter the cost."

Sophie bent her head down so it touched his forehead. She closed her eyes, spilling a tear down her face and splashed onto his cheek. She had been waiting a long time for someone to come along and say that to her. She had always dreamt of finally be safe, and to have someone care for her deeply. And now, he was slipping away from her. "I forgive you." She sniffed. "I forgive you, I forgive you, I forgive you." Before he could say anything, she shut his mouth with a kiss as tears were spilling down on her cheeks. He tasted of blood, but he was warm. She broke away and rested her forehead on his again.

"I love you." She said.

She could hear his smile. "_Te quiero demasiado." _He said.

"What does that mean?"

"I love you too."

.o0O0o.

Several minutes later, they arrived at the institute. Cyril halted the carriage and hurried to the institute. Charlotte opened the door as Sophie watched as her eyes widened in surprise. She disappeared, and in moments she had Will and Jem with her, accompanied by Pearl. Gideon was sleeping on her lap. (Thank God) and Sophie used the last bit of her strength to push open the door to let them in, and then her eyelids were giving in. The wound was eating away at her energy, until her hand went slack as she drifted off into a deep sleep, all she could do is listen.

Jem carried Sophie out of the carriage as Will helped Cyril get Gideon out of the carriage and into the infirmary. After they settled the two in the carriage and had Bridget take care of them, Charlotte went to talk to Cyril. Her hair was wild and her eyes were wide, she hadn't expected this at all, and of course she needed answers. Cyril went back to carriage to free the horses. When she called, she noticed that there was blood stained on his coat, and a splatter of red on his forehead.

"Goodness, Cyril are you hurt?" She asked as she watched him free Bailos.

"No miss, I just got it on myself." He answered. "I suppose you need me to answer some questions."

"Indeed." She replied. "First of all, why was Sophie outside, and what happened to her?"

He told her that she was buying some last minute requirements for Tessa's wedding dress, and that she was cornered up in an alley with a bunch of poorly dressed men. He also told her that Gideon was accompanying her (he didn't want to get Miss. Pearl to get in trouble for letting Sophie go alone) and tried to defend her, and that he himself happened to cross that street. Charlotte managed to swallow all of that information. But she would get the real story when Sophie and Gideon woke up.

"We can't have any of this." Charlotte said in a exasperated voice. "The fake wedding is tomorrow, and we can't have anyone injured at this point."

He nodded as he brushed himself off, ridding himself from the dust that the horses kicked off. She sighed. "Thank you Cyril for protecting Gideon and Sophie."

He tipped his hat and began to unhook the latches on the horses. Before he could put them away, something caught his attention at the side of the carriage. In hesitation, he stepped forward and saw a piece of paper sticking out, jammed in the middle of the door. He plucked it out and unfolded the note to reveal a scrawled up description of some sort.

_Expect some unexpected guests tomorrow._

_Let's have some fun tomorrow, shall we?_

_-The ones who warned you_

**Oooo, so this part of the story is done! Moving onto part 2. (Which, by the way, has a lot of drama, so be prepared!) :) -KKKQ**


	22. 3, 2, 1 Begin

**Yay! Moving onto the invasion and actiony part of the story! This is going to be a lot of fun!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

"Are you finished over there?" Bridget asked in her small, timid voice. Pearl was readying Tessa for the fake wedding that was taking place today. Bridget was beyond the door, waiting patiently for their answer.

"Almost Bridget, give us a few more minutes." Pearl called out; in response she began to walk away from the door. Both girls turned their attention to the mirror to look at Tessa in her wedding dress. Pearl smiled brightly as she spread the golden skirts evenly around her. With shaking hands, Tessa held the bouquet of white lilies as she stared at herself. She was back in the dress that gave her a mixture of anxiety and excitement. She had reassure herself multiple times that it was not her day yet, but still, she wondered how much anxiety and excitement she could hold before doubling over in tears and a mental attack on her real wedding day. In one hand, she ran her fingers over the silky skirts of the dress to calm and pace herself then raising it to touch the jade peony hanging from her bare neck. She instantly thought of Jem, how was he faring? Was he panicking like her?

She looked over her shoulder to glance at her clockwork angel placed on her nightstand. Even with the jade peony, she felt quite naked without it. But, she couldn't possibly wear it to her wedding, even if it was the fake one. She hesitantly reached for it as she breathed out when she held it tightly with her gloved fingers. She coiled the thin chain around her wrist and let the pendant hang like a bracelet. She smiled in ease as she looked at herself in the mirror for one last time.

Pearl finished fixing her hair into an elegant bun, stabbing one or two gem clasps on to keep it in place. She fixed her skirts one last time before spinning Tessa around so that she could look at her fully. She smiled proudly, satisfied with her successful creation. Then she looked Tessa in the eye, hoping that she would have the same look of happy satisfaction that she wore on her face.

"It's beautiful Pearl." Tessa said again before she could even ask the question. What was also beautiful was Pearl's dress, she was one of the Tessa's bride's maids and of course she designed it herself along with the help of Jessamine. It was a wonderful baby yellow, trimmed with fine silk lace, a bit less complicated than Tessa's dress. Pearl wore it well, along with her graceful black hair that rested past her shoulders she looked as if she could be the bride as well.

"Thank the angel for the last minute lace." She said as she fluffed the dress around. "Though it did pay a huge price." Her eyes wary.

Tessa's heart panged, she thought of Sophie and Gideon after the attack that happened outside of the institute. Sophie's injuries weren't as bad, so she healed quite quickly. But on the other hand, Gideon wasn't faring as well as her. The knife that the attacker used drove almost through him, and he lost a lot of blood when he arrived at the institute. They were able to use an _iratze _on him and a strength rune to help him recover faster, he was well enough to fight but he was still a little weak. One time, when Tessa was walking by the infirmary, she saw Sophie passed out on Gideon's bed, holding his hand as he slept. She couldn't help but feel the conflict between them vanish completely and to be replaced with a good start.

"Oh, how Jem will fall lovingly at your feet." Pearl sighed as she tightened the clasps that held her hair together, then she stepped away and took a quick glance at her hair from a faraway view. "Alright, are you ready Tessa?"

She took a breath in before she nodded a yes. They turned away from the mirror and exited the door, only to be ambushed by ooos and ahhs gasps from fellow shadowhunters attending the wedding that lingered in the hallways. Tessa couldn't help but glue her eyes to the floor, shy with a bright red blush forming on her cheeks. Then Pearl tipped her chin.

"Raise your head up high and put a smile on your face." Pearl advised, grinning at her. "_You're never fully dressed without a smile."_

.o0O0o.

"Are you finished over there?" Bridget asked in her pleasant Irish voice. "We are all waiting for you in the foyer."

"A few more minutes dear Bridget." Will teased, knowing his little note of affection would make her jump. They heard her tiny footsteps travel away as he began to dust off his Parabatai's wedding suit. They were in front of a mirror, looking at Jem, looking at him smile so broadly that he could pass as the Cheshire cat. Will was afraid that if he smiled even further, his face would be permanently frozen when his real wedding would take place.

Jem was looking quite sharp in his new, polished tux. It was a dull gold, and thank the angel, nothing shiny or reflective. It was a classic, double breasted jacket, complete with black bold linings, a silk formatted tie, black formal trousers and Italian shoes. He was dressed to impress, and to be specific, he was dressing to impress his blushing bride, his lovely Tessa. His heart pounded when he thought of Tessa in her wedding dress. He had to prepare himself, for he might actually hyperventilate at the mere sight of her. He steadied himself as he put on his silk gloves, as he brushed the silver locks of his hair aside. He could not stop smiling, this made him even more excited for the real wedding. With his prepared _yin fen _in his breast pocket and a hurting smile he turned around to face his best man.

Will was looking sharper than usual. He was also in a dull gold, double breasted, buttoned up tuxedo as well. He was wearing a silk black tie, a pearl gray rose was tucked into his breast pocket and the shoulder pads that sat on his shoulders made them broader. Black dress pants and fit Italian shoes, with his ebony, angelic hair and alluring sky eyes he could pass as an angel without wings. Jem wouldn't be surprised if all of the women attending the wedding all waited for a dance for him, and perhaps had a ring and one flirtatious comment. As long as Jem had Tessa, he would be fine.

As Will dusted off his Parabatai's suit, he drifted off into his thoughts. In his subconscious mind, he distanced himself from Jem as he thought of letting go, his eyes turned to look at Jem in mirror as his eyelids lowered. He promised himself, and for the people he loved, that he would let go, start something else that would give meaning to his life. And, that meant leaving everything behind. A part of him wanted to stay where he was and not do anything else, even if it meant that life was passing him by. A part of him wanted to go, start another chapter of his life and begin to write his future. When the Mortmain and the clockwork army settled and after Tessa and Jem got married, there would be nothing left for him here. There was no particular reason. Tessa would take care of Jem, and Jem would take care of her, there was no room for him in their life. If Tessa wasn't engaged to his Parabatai, then maybe he would have had a reason to stay. He refused his desire for her, because she was already taken and she deserved far better than him. His dreams about him and Tessa's future were not as promising as they used to be, that was a dream that had been discarded a long time ago. His dreams were crumbling, but not his feelings. His feelings used to be what drove him, and now they were the burden that he had to carry on his back. Even if Tessa hated him, there was no way for him to hate her, he tried to, but never succeeded.

"Will?" Jem asked, he snapped out of his trance and focused his attention toward Jem. "Are you ready now?"

"Yes." Will answered uncertainly. "Let's go down to the foyer to meet the others." They both nodded as they left Jem's room and began to descend the grand staircase. Below held numerous shadowhunters, wearing formal clothes for the fake wedding, when really they wore shadowhunter gear under, everyone was wearing something gold. Jem was to be hidden away from Tessa since Pearl had him agree that he would not see her until the wedding procession started. Will left Jem with Isaiah and the others as he went to go stand beside Pearl. She looked extravagant in her bride's maids' formal dress. She smiled at Will as Charlotte focused their attention to the front.

"You all look stunning" Charlotte complimented in her projected voice. "And if this was the real wedding, we would congratulate the blushing bride and the proud groom." She gestured them with her tiny hands. "Tessa Gray and Jem Carstairs!" Clapping erupted as Tessa and Jem nodded in painful smiles.

"We will be heading to Idris, to go the Accords hall where the ceremony will take place. Magnus has set up a portal in the drawing room and we will head down there after this. We do not know how Mortmain and his clockwork army will pass Idris, but do not let your guard down! Mortmain is cunning and clever, so do not take advantage of him. We will have groups stationed outside of the hall during the ceremony. The rest of you will be at the hall, The two back pews on the left and right will come to the front when the invasion has started, the front pews will go back to the guard the exit. The main goal here is keep as many automatrons out until Miss. Gray has escaped to the London Institute." Charlotte looked at Tessa. "Tessa, Pippa will accompany you. You both are to go to the back exit where Magnus will be waiting for you with the portal. Then you are to remain at the institute until we all come back.' Tessa nodded.

"Gideon informed us that Mortmain will be using portals to his advantage. We do not know how Mortmain can use portals but again, do not let your hopes up. When the invasion in the Accords hall has ended, the shadowhunters in Idris and the other shadowhunters that I and Henry have contacted will join us in our fight. There are now approximately fifty of us against perhaps more than a hundred automatrons. I know, it is not enough but we can still win this. We will divide you all up into five groups of ten. All of us will fight, including Tessa and Cecily.' She looked at the two, remembering their pleas to let them fight. It seemed unwise to have Tessa fight, but she would be accompanied by Pippa and others so that she wouldn't be captured by Mortmain or his allies. "Please take this time to divide yourselves up now. When the rest of the shadowhunters come in, make sure to include who you need to complete your group of ten." In a matter of ten minutes, everyone was arranged into groups. Tessa looked at her group who seemed to smile at her. It was Pippa, Pearl, Isaiah, Jem, Will, Cecily, Fionna, Marko, Peter. The remaining one was to be decided when the rest of the shadowhunters came.

"Alright, have one of your group members' hand raised up as we assign you sections. Will's group or group A" She pointed out. "Will be stationed on the west side of the public fountain, near the hat shop. Spencer's group, group B, will be stationed right across from group A near the candy store. Lucy's group, group C, will be right near the Institute on the west side near the apothecary. And the other group, My group D will be stationed right across from group C."

"Charlotte!" Henry cried out. "You will certainly not fight when you could give birth any minute!"

She shook her head. "I had one of the silent brothers draw a rune of delay on my stomach, so I do not have to conceive during the invasion."

"But still, you are pregnant and need help. You have to stay in the institute." He protested.

"Henry, dear, I can take care of myself you know." She said as she turned her attention away from her panic struck husband and onto the groups.

"The last group, Gavin's group, will stay at the institute until the clockwork army comes out." She looked at Sophie who stood patiently near the doors. "Sophie, Bridget and Cyril will be tending the wounded here until needed for backup." Sophie nodded as Charlotte began to wrap up. "For the humans, Magnus will cast a castaway spell so the humans will become temporarily ghosts so that you can walk through them and they won't see anything."

"Today we fight." Charlotte called out. "Today we end this infernal battle and claim victory. Everyone in this room is brave and skilled and their names shall be remembered. We will have a moment of silence, so that we can have one last moment together. Then we will say the Shadowhunter 's vow of allegiance."

The whole room went silent. Tessa joined them as she closed her eyes and thought, she thought of the people beside her who could die today. A pang of guilt heavied her heart, she could not help but feel that everyone who could die in the room today was because of her. A few moments later, Charlotte began to lead the Shadowhunter chant:

_Sanguinem Nephilim nos alligatos tenet, claudere (The blood of Nephilim binds us close)_

_Esse beatum cum divina agilitas Angelus, Raziel surpa (To be blessed with the divine agility of Angel Raziel above)_

_Protege nos a malo certami a impsum infernum (Protect us from evil encounters from hell itself)_

_Et I spondemus servire Raziel protegentes mea genus (and I pledge to serve Raziel by protecting my kind)_

_Finis et fratres nomine diaboli (and to put an end to the devil's name with my brothers and sisters)_

After they finished the chant, Charlotte led them to the drawing room where Magnus Bane was waiting with the portal. Groups of people bunched up together as conversations began to erupt the hallway, growing into a crescendo like a domino effect. Tessa and the others were squished in the compacted crowd, it was especially difficult for since she was wearing her wedding dress. She saw Jem far ahead of her talking to Isaiah and she saw Pearl chatting with the bride's maids. She refused to look for Will since it would only trouble her. She already suspected that he caught a glimpse of her in her wedding gown, and if she noticed that he was looking at her, she would surely grow redder than a tomato.

Someone tapped her elbow lightly, Tessa turned around to see Pippa behind her. She walked briskly to catch up on her pace. Pippa was another one of her bride's maids, and she looked extravagant in her dress, especially in her bleach blonde locks and piercing violet blue eyes. Pippa greeted her with a kind smile as the group swerved right to left.

"I heard the Lightwoods would be accompanying us." Pippa said, she pointed her long index finger to a tousled brown haired man talking pleasantly to Jessamine. "Gabriel Lightwood will be fighting with us." She informed. "Though, Benedict Lightwood will stay at the institute because of his health conditions."

She nodded as they entered the drawing room, where everyone crowded the small room as the portal shimmered and swirled around with Magnus standing beside it. Mr. Bane flashed his brilliant white, canine teeth as Charlotte nodded toward him to start his little introduction. Tessa stood beside Pippa as the others circled around the room. Tessa and Will were on the other side of the room, and as they glanced briefly at each other, not knowing that they were doing it at the same time, they both shyly turned away. Will obviously looked heavenly, with his dull gold formal wear and sharp black features of his hair and tie that seemed to make him bold. His eyes seemed to stand out the most since no other color matched with it. _You shan't be thinking about other men like that now you're engaged _Tessa reminded herself as she bit her lip, hard.

"I don't think _welcome _is an appropriate word is it?" Magnus started off."We _are _going to battle, so…I wish you all good luck then."

"Here" He gestured to the portal. Swirling with foggy colors that blended together, making winded and whispery sounds that filled the utter silence in the room, he eyed his audience." Is a portal that I made from instructions from a spell book, hopefully some have you entered a portal before…?" Only a hand or two was raised up.

He sighed. "Then this is your first. When you enter a portal, you must have a person waiting for you at the other side, especially if you are entering Idris. Before you enter, you must think of the place you are going, any one of you been to Idris before?" This time, ten more hands rose up.

"For the people that haven't been to Idris before, think of cobble stone streets, Greece looking houses, blue skies, a fountain in the middle, any questions?" He asked, no one raised their hand or shouted out. He smiled, clapped his hands together and then he gestured his audience to the portal. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

Slowly, everyone entered the portal, disappearing in the milky looking sphere. Then it was Tessa's turn, she held Pippa for comfort as she thought of Magnus' description of Idris, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and entered the portal.

.oO0Oo.

Idris was like a place pulled right out of a fairytale. Tessa couldn't help but get lost in the ancient cobble stone streets, rugged, artistic looking houses. Bits of greenery poking out wherever there was room and people, shadowhunters to be exact nodded towards them as they passed them., She felt immediately overdressed, that she was taking so much attention and tried to cover her dress, but that didn't work, with the beaming sun out the gold shone on her dress, as if she was wearing the sun on thin straps. Pippa smiled at her and raised her chin and smiled. _You're never fully dressed without a smile._

More shadowhunters awaited for them at the beginning of the Accords hall. Charlotte talked to some of her fellow shadowhunters before heading into the hall. As the large group walked in, Jem's and Tessa's group separated into different rooms to prep for the wedding, the rest of them went to the grand hall itself to wait on the pews. All the girls worked on Tessa's dress, making a few last arrangements, Tessa shivered, it was cold in this hall, colder inside than outside. She looked at herself in the mirror, trying to summon every bit of courage, determination, and excitement in her. As little as ten minutes, they put on her veil and her bouquet (that had a knife buried in the flowers just in case something happened), before they could head out, Jessamine called out for Tessa.

"Charlotte mentioned that I should give this to you." From her purse, she drew out two ruby pins, beautiful and polished and very Jessamine. She held them out to Tessa. "If you slide the small switch on the back, it forms knives just in case something happens to you. I have my own as well." She tapped a emerald jeweled barrette that was holding up her hair."They are much more useful than my parasol."

Tessa smiled at her. "Thank you Jessamine, these will definelty be handy." She unclasped the ones she had before and replaced them with the new ones. Jessamine meekly smiled back as they headed out of the room, where Jem and Will were right behind them, waiting until Tessa arrived at the altar.

Will turned to his Parabatai. "Are you ready?" He asked. His heart was pounding in his chest, and it gave him confusion, since it wasn't the real wedding.

Jem nodded. "Yes, let's-" Then he stopped himself, "Oh! I forgot my extra seraph blade back at the room. I'll be quick." And with that, he disappeared down the hallway and into the room.

Will waited anxiously for Jem and prayed that he would get out just in time. Meanwhile, his heart and his emotions were bothering him. He wasn't supposed to feel this way, and he promised himself that he was going to let go, of Tessa. Even though this wasn't the actual wedding, he couldn't help but feel dread that he would never be able to convey his true feelings towards Tessa. He tightened his tie and refused to think of unhappy thoughts and Tessa. He glanced at the room, Jem was taking a certainly long time in the room looking for his seraph blade. Before Will could walk over and see what was taking him so long, Jem finally came out of the room, the blade strapped to his belt. He nodded towards Will.

"What took you so long?" Will asked. "Your seraph blade was lying on the couch, unless you suddenly gone blind now."

Jem stared at Will but didn't say anything. Will blinked, something about Jem didn't quite fit, there was something unrealistic about him, not the way that he ignored Will's little rude comment, but the way he looked at him, he felt a sort of hollow and emotionless feeling…

Jem started to march forward as Tessa arrived at the altar. Will stood by his side until the entered the grand hallway before leaving his Parabatai to Tessa. Tessa smiled weakly at Will before setting her gaze on Jem. He looked ravishing in his dull gold tux, matched with his silver features. The priest looked at the two before starting the wedding speeches and the exchanged vows. All Tessa could do was look into Jem's eyes, hoping that his gaze would not let her fall because of the overwhelming pressure of having twenty plus people look at her. She remembered Pippa's advice about straightening up, lifting her chin proudly and smiling, she clutched onto her bouquet for dear life as she waited for Mortmain and his large army to interrupt.

"James Mildrew Carstairs." The priest announced, beginning the most exciting moment during a wedding procession, the exchange of rings, vows and marks. "Do you take Theresa Marceline Gray to be your wedded wife? To love and to cherish, to help when you are sick, to advise you when you are troubled, to love you when you are depressed and to protect you in dangerous times?"

"I do." He said, Tessa looked at him with wide eyes, as she cocked her head a bit. There was something odd about Jem. How straightforward the answer was, no smiles, no blushing, how _robotic _his 'I do' sounded…

"Theresa Marceline Gray." The priest turned to her with the heavy book in one hand as the other was raised up slightly. "Do you take James Mildrew Carstairs to be your wedded husband? To love and to cherish, to help when you are sick, to advise you when you are troubled, to love you when you are depressed and to protect you in dangerous times?"

She felt all eyes stare at her. A large lump formed in her throat as she gave her answer. "I-"

"**STOP!**" someone yelled, a loud noise of gasps echoed in the hall as they stared at the person who dared to utter the word. Tessa's eyes grew even wider as she saw, the blue eyed boy, Will Herondale himself stand up. Her heart raced, she blinked back as if she was holding tears and she could be crying right now. A thousand questions rumbled inside of her but her emotions took over as she felt her heart go with him-

"That's not Jem!" he yelled. "A shadowhunter found the real Jem tied up our room!" He pointed to 'Jem' accusingly. "That's an automatron!"

Tessa turned her head in aghast as the Jem she thought she knew grabbed her by the arm, it's once silver eyes glared into her soul expressionless. It's hard and pointed fingertips drove into her skin as she dropped her bouquet and screamed.

**Was that too much of a cliffhanger? o_O, oh well. I made up the shadowhunter allegiance vow thing, written in Latin…..i also made up Jem's and Tessa's middle names since I couldn't find them on any site or the books themselves. Did I startle you when Will stood up? Did you chant 'YEAH! GO WILL!" yeah, a part of me wanted to actually write that Tessa would jump into his arms and live happily ever after, then I remembered the Jem has feelings too and that he deserves eternal happiness as well, *sigh***


	23. Run

**Almost Christmas and new year! Yay! I might not be able to update in the next two weeks because of it…so yeah. Oh! And the quote 'you are never fully dressed without a smile' from the previous chapter was from the musical Annie. I got it from Glee, hehe.**

"_Be my mirror, my sword my shield."-Viva La Vida, Coldplay_

In a split second, Will was hovering in mid air between the two. Tessa couldn't even stop to blink when he slashed his sword in front of the fake Jem and pushed Tessa aside so that she would not be harmed by the blade. Tessa backed away as she focused her eyes in horror; the Jem she thought was real had its face marred grotesquely. The silver of its eyes and hair glimmered like metal, since Will was beginning to chop it into pieces, it seemed more and more obvious that Jem here was an automatron. The dull gold of his jacket was ruined by cuts and severs as Will began to work his blade on the machine. His seraph blade swung from up and down, left to right with shocking speed, his arches that came down were graceful and unhesitant. When the clockwork creature finally fell to his knees as it sputtered and died, Will turned around to stare at her with glaring eyes.

"What are you still doing here?" he yelled. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Tessa clenched her fist, wrapping her clockwork angel tightly with her fingers. "I-"

Before Will could answer, the door burst open, literally. The burnt ashes of the cherry wood littered across the marble floor, planks of burnt woods were flying everywhere, shattering stained glass windows and injuring people. When the smoke cleared up, it revealed a glimmer of metal and a ghostly smile. Hundreds upon hundreds of automatrons were crowded together in army form, dressed in ragged, worn out clothes and with blank faces. They did not move or blink just one bit, they stood there like perfect soldiers waiting for the first command. Will looked to the broken window to his left, he saw people running to and fro, screaming as automatrons chased at them with wicked weapons. He looked eerily to the person standing in front of the large army. He was dressed in battle gear, traditional shadowhunter gear fit with weapons at his belt. He tightened his collar as he smiled an awfully proud grin that sent chills throughout the entire room. Beside Mortmain was Juliette and Sergei, Juliette was smiling too and a cunning one at that. She wore a tight black corset that hugged her waist, covering her half her neck. Over that she wore a night black leather jacket that suspiciously looked like it was made from C_roucher _demon skin. She wore beige trousers that bagged out around that matched her heavy black boots that held a knife. She wore a belt full of weapons and not to mention the unfriendly looking whip in her gloved hands. Her bright red hair was pulled into a ponytail as her mean eyes stared at everyone in the room. To Mortmain's left was Sergei, dressed in the same black garb and the same weapons belt, only that his face was blank and unreadable.

"Sorry we're late." Mortmain spoke, his voice echoing the entire room. "We got sidetracked."

"What is your business Mr. Axel Mortmain?" Charlotte demanded as she stood up and faced him. "You know it is improper to attend a wedding when you are uninvited."

"It is also improper." He said. "To give away Theresa with no permission, she is indeed mine."

"We have no intention to give Miss Gray to you." She responded darkly.

"Is that so?" Mortmain said slyly as he turned his attention toward Tessa. Tessa inched away in fear as she grabbed a hold of Will's hand and squeezed it for comfort. "Theresa, you my dear have the power to stop this, if you come with us we can tell you all you want to know."

She gritted her teeth in anger. "I doubt that you will me nothing but lies."

"You can stop this. Do you really want to start this fight when you know that you are clearly outnumbered? Do you really want to start a fight that will kill all of your dear ones? How selfish Theresa to be only be thinking about your safety."

Will looked at Tessa. Her face blank and speechless, before she could say something stupid he responded back to Mortmain. "This is our matter too, you have killed a number of ours and all we want to do is settle the score."

"Very well." Mortmain warned. "If you do not hand over Theresa then we will have to take her by force, and there will be no mercy at that." He turned to Juliette. "Do what you were ordered to do." She smirked as she said in a sly voice. "With pleasure."

Mortmain disappeared as the rampage of automatrons surged forward; shadowhunters (now dressed in their shadowhunter garb) collided with the as they fought with whirring weapons flying here and there. Sounds of cutting metal and screams erupted in the air as the tight bunch filled the room. Jem was doing a fine job keeping a female automatron busy, eventually chopping the head off. Jessamine was using her jeweled hair clasps, sheering metal off the creatures with her swift blades. Henry on the other hand looked like he was having the time of his life, using one of his inventions to wipe out an entire ten of automatrons.

Will cursed at the sight of the number of automatrons advancing towards at them, her gripped the hilt of his seraph blade as he tightened her grip on Tessa's hand. Tessa snapped out of her trance as she looked at Will with contempt. His forehead has a big black streak of something and his clothes were already tattered and torn. He looked at Tessa with determination as he began to lead her out.

"Dammit, where the hell is Pippa?!" He barked. "Never mind, I'll escort you _myself-"_

A swift cutting noise interrupted Will as he grimaced at the streak of red that blurred his vision. Juliette was in between them as she used her whip to coil around Tessa's wrist as she yanked her grip off of him. Before Will could do anything, Sergei stepped in out of nowhere and pointed a lethal pointed weapon at him.

"Don't you know better than run away?" Juliette said slyly she wrung the whip more tightly as Tessa yelped in pain. Juliette looked at Will. "Perhaps if you scamper away maybe the Magister will spare you, wouldn't that be a treat-"

Tessa used her other hand to yank the clasp that was holding her dress together off as the fabric fell to the floor, revealing a array of weapons, dirt colored trousers and her remaining bodice that was designed as decorative armor. She yanked the jewel pins out of her hair with force as she sliced a cut across Juliette's chest, leaving a satisfying blood pool staining on her bodice. Juliette cursed out loud as she dropped her whip.

"You little-" She sneered, before she could do anything. Pippa came and kicked her in the stomach as she fell backwards, clutching her belly. She nodded towards Will as she grabbed Tessa's wrist as they both darted to the exit that Charlotte was talking about. They went through the messy chaos of clockwork parts and blood as they came across a hidden door and escaped through it before anyone could see. It lead to a narrow hallway as Pippa released her grip on Tessa as they went on a full on run. Tessa was glad that she escaped out of her thick dress, if she left it on, they would have never made it. As they were running through the hallway she thought of how Will was faring with Juliette and Sergei. She wondered where was Jem and if he was already, now she was starting to worry. _Oh dear God, if anything were to happen to those two._

"Tessa!" Pippa called as they neared the end of the hallway to the brightening sunlight. Tessa followed Pippa to a dark alley where they saw Magnus waiting patiently with the portal beside him. It didn't seem like he fought since his clothes were still intact and there was not one speck of dust on him. He saw them coming and gave a weak smile.

"Thank you Mr. Bane." Pippa said courteously as she grabbed Tessa's wrist once more as they plunged into the portal together, followed by Magnus. She closed her eyes and sucked in her breath as if she under water, she hated going through portals, it made her feel sick, weightless and at the same time heavy. As she was going through, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up as she shivered how cold it was. There was a moment where Tessa couldn't hear anything and she believed that she was deaf. When her feet dropped to the ground, everything inside of her was set back in place. Tessa opened one eye as she breathed out. They were back at the institute again and only this time no one was there, only Sophie, Bridget and Cyril. Sophie came over and went to help Tessa as Bridget led Pippa and Magnus to the dining room.

As Sophie led Tessa to the dining room, she noticed Tessa's wrist, the one where the whip touched her skin, was badly burned. She let out a little gasp. "Oh, Miss. Gray, what happened to your wrist?"

"Hmm?" Tessa said as she looked down on her wrist, the memory of Juliette's whip flashed in front of her. "Oh, it was because of Juliette."

Sophie sighed as she changed their direction, now leading to the Infirmary. "Now, we can't let that get infected can we? Let's get you fixed up."

When they arrived at the infirmary, Sophie washed her wound delicately as she drew a iratze on her burn. Soon enough, it began to heal quickly, the wound faded into a angry shade of red, then a soft pink until blending into her own skin tone. She smiled at Sophie in thanks as she used her ribbon that she kept around her finger to tie up her hair.

"Shall we go to the dining room Sophie?" Tessa asked, as she began to lead the way. She nodded as both girls descended down the hallway in silence. As they passed the music room Tessa immediately thought about Jem. Her heart pounded in worry, _was he alright? Did the others find him yet? _She hoped so and began to assure herself that he was fine. When she looked at the piano, it's black cover gleaming in the light, she thought of Cecily. She was fighting in battle too, only that she would fight with her big brother by her side.

She clenched her clockwork angel as she put it on, having the pendant dangle on her neck, and for once she let the sense of security calm her down.

.oO0Oo.

"Jem?"

Will was practically running through the hallways, checking every door, catching a glimpse of anyone who might be Jem and eliminating the automatrons that got in his way. He gritted in his teeth in annoyance as he continued to run the hallways. With his sharpened seraph blade to his aid he was ready to take part in sudden battles. A sense of anxiety was the new reason why he was beginning to sweat, he wondered if Jem was alright and if he was still out of his reach. He refused to think of things that could have hurt Jem and he refused the idea of him dying before he even got there.

When he fought off many of Mortmain's automatrons, he decided to break from it all for while to find Jem. But on the way, Will got lost so he had to navigate his way to their room. The hard part was, all of the doors looked the same and the regular entry to the grand Accords hall was in flames. He decided to call Jem's name in a loud desperate yell. But that only attracted attention, more automatrons dressed in rags came at him with swords in replacement of hands. He fought them all and he didn't even need to take a break. He drew a strength and swiftness rune on his arm to keep him going, he was invincible.

"Jem?" He called out, he saw the next door and barged in, closing it behind him so that no one could come in. When he looked at the room, he smiled in victory. It was their room, Jem's seraph blade was still leaning against the wooden night stand near the bed. He drew his blade out and began to scour the room for any enemies, when he found that no one was here he began to wearily call out Jem's name. At first, there was no answer, when he called again he heard a ruffle, like fabric rubbing together. When he called out the third time a moan escaped from the closet. Will clenched his blade as he withdrew the curtains to find Jem, badly beaten up, and unconscious. His head was cocked to the side in sleep as he was wound up tightly with harsh looking rope. His heart dropped as Will fell to his knees and tried to shake Jem awake.

"Jem? Jem!" He called out desperately, there was no response from him, only moans and grumbles. Will cursed softly as he used the tip of his blade to cut off the rope to free him. As that time, Jem was half asleep and half awake. He opened one eye as it focused its attention to Will.

"Will?" He mumbled as he tried to blink his eyelids from drooping.

"There's no time." He said as he took out his steel and drew a strength, swiftness rune and a iratze where he was injured. Jem's injuries quickly healed and he was able to open his eyes fully, When he tried to sit up, he almost fell as Will caught him by the arm.

"Careful." He said as he drew another strength and swiftness rune on his other arm, this time Jem could fully stand up without any help.

Jem scratched his head in curiosity. "I don't remember." He blinked, trying to pull the last memory he had before he blanked out. "I just went to get my weapon and then I saw black."

"Mortmain's accomplices got you." Will explained as he picked up Jem's seraph blade and gave it to him. "It was a way to get Tessa."

Jem's eyes widened in fear "Is Tessa alright? Where is she?"

"She's back at the institute, and she's alright." He assured him. Will remembered the burn mark on Tessa's wrist that was left by Juliette. He shook his head and told himself that she was alright, he didn't tell Jem. He looked at the door. "The invasion has started." He stated as they drew near the door. "Mortmain's creatures are everywhere."

"So…kill off as much as we can?" Jem asked.

Will put his finger to his chin in thought. "I wouldn't say _kill _exactly. Since these automatrons have no life or a real beating heart, not to mention feelings at all. They can't die, but, if you are using that personification for sarcastic purposes, that would-"

"By the angel, when will you learn to give a straight answer for once?" He sighed as he turned the doorknob. A march of automatrons came marching down the hallway as he looked at his Parabatai. "Fight beside me?" Will flashed his teeth in amusement as they advanced at the first clockwork creature coming towards them.

"Gladly."

.oO0Oo.

Tessa settled her hand on her injured and wrapped up wrist, letting the heat of her palm steady her pulse. She was staring out onto the window where civilians were nonchalantly walking to and fro, the only difference was that they were almost as transparent as a ghost. They were white as sheet, and sometimes when there was group walking together, they looked fully white, like looking through a glass of milk. Especially with the stormy and gray weather, it looked like a ghost town. They couldn't speak, they were muted souls. It was almost like New York sleeping, and New York never slept.

She batted her eyes towards Sophie, prepping towels and supplies for first aid on set up tables. Pippa sat on a chair, fixing her belt that held various weapons. Pippa was looking down at something, something that hung from her neck-a bronze locket- chipped open, that held a small picture of some sort, perhaps her family. With curiosity and with nothing better to do, Tessa picked herself up from the windowsill and went over to her. When she got a view, inside the locket was a picture of a small girl with a winning toothy smile and bright honey eyes staring at her. Pippa sighed as she closed her locket and turned her attention to the window.

"May I ask; who was that little girl in your locket?" Tessa asked

She was quite for a while. "My little sister." She responded. "Mary Kate. I never knew her.""

Tessa rose her eyebrow. "Then why…?"

Pippa turned her attention towards her, her eyes the same honey color of the little girl, only more solemn and a hint of sadness. "Because I was the cause of her death." Before Tessa could say anything, Pippa already began to explain. "I usually don't like to draw attention to myself, but for now, for the time being, I will say it all."

"I live away from my mother, my only family since my father died from the war and all my other relatives are unknown. Mother never liked me, she said I was too boyish for a girl. She didn't like my hobbies, she didn't approve my dreams. We drifted apart when I grew older. Then one day, I received a letter that she married again and gave birth to a little girl. As the little girl grew older, I decided to visit my mother. When I saw that she really loved my new sister, I started to grow angry. _Why didn't I receive love like that? _I thought, I grew resentment for my mother and the girl. And then, my mother grew sick. She requested me for some reason, and God knows why I even came to visit her when my resentment for her was still so strong. She pleaded for me to take care of her little girl-Mary Kate-and I was angry all over again. _I was never part of you! You never let me in, so why should I take care of your family? Why in the world should I take care of your little girl? _And did you know what she said to me?"

"_Because Mary Kate was my second chance, because I ruined my first. _She thought that I hated her so much that I could never love her. She thought she was too late. So now I feel like it's my obligation to protect Mary Kate, to fulfill my mother's last wish, to show my mother that I loved her no matter what."

Tessa's throat constricted. "And where is Mary Kate now?"

"At my husband's house." She responded, she smiled at the window as she looked out, then it her smile disappeared into horror. She stood up and ran to the window. "What?" Tessa asked as she joined her.

Pippa pointed to black voids emerging from thin air, appearing spaces apart. They were portals.

A voice called out. It was Magnus' voice. "They've returned from the Alicante hall! Along with the other helper shadowhunters from Idris!"

Sophie and Bridget hurried down the corridor to treat the wounded. Tessa kept her eyes glued to the portals. They shimmered for a bit before something shiny and metallic poked out for one of them. Soon, Tessa could make out a automatron in every single one them, all emerging in army form. She held her breath as she spotted the first ones emerging out of the black portals. They were models of Jem, her, Will, Charlotte, Henry, Jessamine, everyone. Dressed in the same garb as the wedding uniforms, and even Tessa, in her golden wedding gown, looking at everything with a cold stare, soon, more like them marched out, rising in numbers, thousands upon thousands filling the streets. Followed by Mortmain, Juliette and Sergei, beaten up clothes, but they were fine. Each of them were wearing evil grins on their faces.

"By the Angel." Tessa whispered. "It has begun."

**Hope this isn't much of a cliffhanger…see you in the next chapter! :)**


	24. Metallic Battlefield

**Heyyyy! I know, it's been forever since I updated. It's just…..EXAMS….**

**Only 65 days until the release of Clockwork Princess! The finale! OMG,I just read the summary for it, and I'm practically dying from all of my Will and Jem feels. T^T**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFENAL DEVICES **

"_I'll stop the whole world. I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster, eating us alive." –Monster, Paramore._

Coated in rust, dust and blackish liquid spewed from an oil leak from one of Mortmain's automatons; Will stumbled out of the portal with his grime covered blade. He blinked from the sudden, small bit of sunlight that seeped out from a nearby window, raising his arm to block it from his face. His clothes were not as torn up, dirty and ragged like it should have been. Well, it _was _shadowhunter gear, and it was hard to cut through. Not to mention that it was black, and if you happened to smear mud on the chest plate you couldn't even see it. Exhaustion crept on him as he tried to shake himself awake, to keep focused. When he regained his attention, the whole room was filled with shadowhunters, along with the new ones that they picked up in Idris. Beside him was Jem, the same state of ruggedness and exhaustion as him. His silver blue eyes grew nearer to a tint of light grey, indicating to how serious he was when it came to battle.

They were back at the institute, readying for another battle after coming from another one in Idris. The Accords hall in Alicante was in ruins. The altar was evenly hacked in half; the pews were flipped over for barriers. Decors were scattered on the ground and smashed where people just mindlessly stepped on them, the windows were smashed and left the jagged pieces on the floor. And lastly, hundreds of automaton parts were scattered everywhere, nearly piling up on one another. The eerie thing about the scattered clockwork parts was imagining them as real human body parts. Luckily, no one died, but some did get seriously injured; so the ones that needed aid were being treated at the institute by Sophie, Bridget, Cyril and other servants that were assigned to the job. Will was thankful that the ones close to him weren't as badly hurt.

When he got out of the room, he followed the current of people out onto the foyer where Charlotte was directing them where they were to be stationed during the invasion. He kept Jem close by as he began to go along with his group. His heart pounded in his chest, filing him with adrenaline. He paced long strides to keep his blood flowing. _This is it. _Will thought. _Fight for victory or die a hero._

Something warm and long gripped his arm. Will turned around to see Cecily beside him, balling the sleeves of his shirt with her fingers. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail to keep the hair out of her face, her bright blue eyes conveyed a feeling of worry and fear, but her smile made her look brave. Cecily was also wearing shadowhunter garb with a needy seraph blade that hung from her belt.

"Will, you don't look very worried." She commented. "How in the world can you put a smile on your face when you're about to hit an apocalypse-like atmosphere?"

He pondered for a moment "The reason mostly comes from experience." He responded slowly. "When you are trained to be a shadowhunter, you give your life to protect."

"Goodness that was oddly mature and straightforward coming from you." Cecily observed. "Are you feeling alright?"

He smirked and crossed his arms. "_Byd Gwaith, gan roi ar wyneb dewr yn gwneud i chi edrych yn ddeniadol ac yn manly." _

She smiled at the Welsh being thrown at her. "Well, I can't put on a brave face to look strong or attractive because I don't feel brave. I don't think I have enough confidence in me-"

"Cecily –little sister- we are going to win this. Believe we can." He said gently while putting a hand on top of hers.

Cecily smiled weakly at him in response.

He sighed. "You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to, like I said in the first place." She looked at him as if he was slapped her across the face and shouted a dirty word at her.

"I want to do this, there is no way that you, anyone, or anything can change my mind." She exhaled in one whole breath as she tried to calm herself down. Her heartbeat wasn't steadying and her breathing quickened every time she took a step forward. They were outside now. Every street looked empty, ever since Magnus cast a ghost spell on the humans it looked as if a tumbleweed could come bouncing in anytime by now. No clockwork machine was in sight just yet. They knew that the automatrons would be heading in the middle of town, facing the institute. The group moved in stealth as they were almost at their station.

"Besides," She whispered. "I want to get my hands on the person who hurt our mother."

Will looked at her in sadness. There were so many reasons to end this fight with the clockwork army, including capturing and killing Mortmain. He had his own reasons, and there were a lot of them. _He hurt my family; he injured and killed numbers of shadowhunters and mundanes, he hurt Tessa-._

"You have your own reasons to get your hands on Mortmain right?" She said, and then she glanced over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of Tessa to her far right. She was in full, shadowhunter gear with her hair draped over her shoulders with a brave look plastered on her face. She was talking to Pippa who was beside her. Cecily looked skeptically at her brother.

He noticed the look on her face. "What?"

She motioned her head towards Tessa. "One of your reasons is that lady who is engaged to Mr. Carstairs."

He frowned. "Shhh, someone might hear us." Cecily's expression didn't change. Will sighed because he knew if he didn't give her an answer, she would bother him with it for the entire day. "Well?" She asked impatiently.

"Yes." He responded plainly. "I want revenge on Mortmain because he hurt Tessa."

She stared blankly at him. _That was it? _She thought _No, 'I will protect Tessa with my life because I love her!' or 'I can't wait to kill Mortmain with my own hands, Tessa deserves guaranteed safety!' _She shook her head as she decided to drop the subject. They had just turned the corner and arrived at their designated station, only now to wait for the army to come at them.

"Whatever the case, I'll be at your side." Will said, facing his little sister, putting his hand on her head and rubbing her hair affectionately. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

She smiled as they shared a hug and silently prayed that everything would be alright. She also prayed for Will's safety because she wasn't going to let another member of her family slip away from her ever again.

They stepped away from the embrace when they heard the stomping of metal coming their way. Cecily gripped her weapon as Jem neared Will. Thousands upon of thousands of automatrons, replicas of Tessas, Wills, Jems and other shadowhunters marching their way towards the group, all of their hearts were pumping louder and louder. Building up the much needing confidence to win this fight, breathing was labored, stamina increased, attention was focused. A faint, metal clicking sound erupted in the air. Will turned around to find Tessa behind him, her clockwork angel pendant whirring around with its wings flapping violently.

"My Angel." She breathed as she stared at her necklace. Will tore his eyes away from her as she steadied himself as the group charged with battle screams. He watched in amazement as he younger sister sucked in a greedy amount of air as she charged into the clockwork mess, working with a Bridget automaton. Jem stayed by Will's side and when the army tried to push itself forward, Jem took a step forward and looked back at Will.

"We will do this together. As blood brothers." Jem said, his voice had a hint of hurt in it. Will nodded as he stepped forward. He watched as Jem help Cecily out with the mass number of clockwork creatures. Before Will could charge in, Tessa caught him by the sleeve. He stumbled back in surprise.

"Please be careful." Tessa said meekly. "Don't let me say _Ate Atque Vale, _especially to you."

He nodded as he put a hand on hers and gently loosened her grip as both of them charged into battle.

.oO0Oo.

The machine twitched as it fell to the ground. Will quickly moved onto the next clockwork creature, disassembling them with force one by one. Every time he destroyed one, another would take his place. Machines crowded around him, almost like a barrier. He was unable to see Cecily's progress or Jem's and Tessa's. He just had to remind himself that they were doing just fine. His ears ringed; the noise of metal scratching and banging together was much too loud to handle. He wished he had something to protect his eardrums, he swore If he didn't have a cloth to jam into his ear buds he would definelty go deaf in half an hour.

His movements were swift and quick; No swinging arch was brought down in hesitation and no throw of his blade was wasted. He sliced through an automaton chest as it stumbled back, he used this opportunity to kick the machine so he could finish it off and start with the next one. He whirled around and caught a replica of a Sophie automaton midway before it tried to sheer his head off. Its hands were replaced by spinning, sharp gears. _Sophie's _face had no expression as it tried to cut Will. He ducked away from one of her attacks as he managed to flip over, grab its arm and flip it over. The automaton was smashed to the ground, its arms were dismembered and the head was turned into a very uncomfortable looking position. Will turned around again and started to work on another and another, running by adrenaline to keep him awake. So far, he only managed to get small cuts on his arms and one on his shoulder. Then when he finished another one of Mortmain's inventions, he found a group of five automatons, three of them were replicas of himself and the other two were replicas of Charlotte and Cecily. He drew out another blade from his belt and charged at them with a cry. His movements were far too quick and everything he did was in a blur. He managed to cut off three heads in a row and gut all of them in second's time. When he finished all of them, something bumped him hard on the back, making him stumble forward.

Will turned around to face an automaton that had its arms raised, holding a misshapen axe in its hands. One of his blades was missing and his other hand suddenly went numb. He tried to scramble to his feet as it brought the axe down and-

Jem intervened. He caught the rusty blade, almost close to Will's face and drew the axe back to smash it into the automaton's face. Now the face was badly disfigured as Jem sliced it's head clean off. Most of the automatrons near them were gone, and most of them were lying 'dead' on the ground. Jem offered his hand as Will took it. Will went over and picked up his fallen weapon and gripped it tightly. He nodded at his Parabatai.

"Thanks." He said as he looked at the scene before them, numbers of shadowhunters and automatrons were fighting to aggressively with one another, swords and other weapons were flying everywhere. He saw no trace of Mortmain, but he could see Juliette fighting with a fellow shadowhunter, her whip flying at the person. Sergei on the other hand, was silently fighting with, none of course, a shadowhunter who did a pretty good job on keeping him busy.

Will looked beside him, his Parabatai also lost in the trance of everything transpiring in front of them. He elbowed him gently as they began to jog to the next batch of automatrons. They joined Cecily and Tessa trapped in a barrier of automatrons. Will breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed that Cecily wasn't badly hurt, and neither was Tessa. They just had some minor wounds on their body. When the group of automatrons fell dead to the ground, Cecily looked gratefully at Jem and her brother. Tessa nodded in thanks as they forwarded on.

Suddenly, a loud, unhuman sound erupted the field. Will and the others looked around In surprise and all of them were wondering: _What in the bloody hell was that? _Almost forgetting about the automatrons around them.

There was a new noise of rumbling of something coming. The yell came louder. Everyone's eyes widened to a ten story monster of several heads trampling on a mixture of shadowhunters and automatrons. The heads were fairly large, and the eyes were an ugly shade of yellow. The skin was covered in black scales as several of their green slime tongues flicked poison on unsuspecting victims. There were about ten heads, moving around with its long necks. It roared as it stomped on the ground.

"The Hydra demon." Jem whispered. "That's rare"

"What-"Tessa was caught off when she spotted an automaton coming her way, when it stumbled towards her. She charged at it with her open weapon as she slashed the chest upon, kicked it to send it stumbling back so she could sheer off the head. When she was done she jogged back to the group.

Will looked at Tessa and Cecily, and then at the Hydra demon who was stomping and slithering directly at shadowhunters. _It's on our opponent's side. Mortmain probably summoned it somehow_ Will thought. "Jem and I will fight the Hydra. You two will stay here and fight off as many automatrons as you can." He nodded at Jem as they started to jog forward.

"Wait! We'll come with you. You both will need as much help as you can get!" Cecily exclaimed, running behind them.

He turned around and opened his mouth to speak, only to be closed tightly. He was hesitant at the thought of bringing the two girls that he held very close to his heart along, but there was no time to argue. He shrugged as he let them come along. He looked beside him to see that Jem was unaffected by their presence. The Hydra demon let out a loud roar as its black scales shimmered whenever it moved. Its long necks snaked, moving without sync. When they neared the demon, most of the clockwork creatures have cleared out of the way. The group dodged whenever it would step forward or back. The monster didn't seem to notice them; it just kept on roaring and stomping.

The only way to slay the demon was to chop off all of the heads at the same time, but that seemed impossible since they were now compared to the size of a mouse and the necks were pretty thick to cut through, but they had to try. He noticed that the scales looked like bricks on a wall; he could scale up them easily. Will formulated a plan in his head and shouted over to Jem. He, Jem and Tessa were going to climb up the beast and try to sever as many heads quickly as possibly as Cecily would distract it. He hoped in high heaven that it would work and that no one would get severely injured from his plan.

"We are going to climb it and chop off as many heads as possible! I will count to three and then you will slice them off." He yelled, pointing to the black scales of the beast. "Cecily, you will distract it alright? Do whatever you can, and don't get hurt!"

The three nodded as Cecily separated away from them as the three started to scale up the beast. The scales were rough and jagged, so it was easy to scale up. The climb only took a minute and Will was already on top of the Hydra's back. Next, Jem was on as both of them helped Tessa up. The demon moved around, so it was hard to keep balance. Both of them were staring at the back of the necks of the demon. Moving with such speed and grace, it reminded Will crossing a long, rickety bridge and if you fell, you would fall thousands of feet in the air and land hard. The three of them began to separate as they took cautious steps forward. When they reached to the base of the necks, they started to climb up halfway, carefully not to trip. Tessa clung on to the neck of the beast as she tried to gulp down her fear. Will looked down and saw Cecily throwing rocks at it. The beast roared in anger as it stomped toward her. He took out his seraph blade and looked at his companions, who had their weapons ready and was looking at him. He raised up his other hand and counted down.

One,

Two,

Three!

All of them began to slice thoroughly one after the other. Purple guck squirted out of the neck as they cut. The Hydra demon thrashed in surprise as it tried to shake them off put they hung on tightly as they continued to chop one by one. Will managed to decapitate the ones nearest him, Jem was done too, and now it all depended on Tessa. She was still slicing one after the other, the arms getting tired. It was like cutting through a cow in one slice. Purple guck was all over her, coating her gear, her face and there was some in her boots. She hacked the one beside her in half as she wiped her forehead. She looked around; there was no head in sight. In excitement, she turned around to smile at the boys. Will and Jem were yelling at her to turn around. Tessa's eyes widened as she turned around to see a un decapitated head, snaking around her. Its head drew back as it darted quickly toward her, she dodged the attack and managed to slice off the head. The head toppled to the ground to an unflattering _shlick._

But it was too late, the heads grew back in an instant, Tessa screamed as she held on to one of the necks, the boys were nowhere to be seen, her heart grew in worry. _Good lord, I hope nothing had happened to them ._Below her was Cecily who tried to call for help. She knew she had to get off immediately. She sucked in air as she began to shimmy down the neck, hoping in high heaven that it wouldn't attack her. She successfully slid to the back of the beast as she held onto the scales for balance. She looked down to see that Jem and Will were already down, yelling at her. A wave of relief came over her, gratified that the boys were safe as she built enough courage to climb down.

Before she could, one of the necks turned eerily around as faced Tessa. She froze in horror. The long, yellow tongue flicked as it hovered around her. Then, it drew back. Tessa screamed in terror. _Oh please no. Don't let me die like this._

The head drew back as it prepared itself to launch it at her. In a split second, it dove in, and then suddenly, it stopped halfway. Its jaw hung open and its eyelids closed. Tessa rolled around as it slammed to the back. She took this as chance to get out of there as she scrambled back down. She thudded to the ground as Jem steadied her and drew his arms around her. She watched in amazement as the necks, one by one, being shot down…by arrows. Confusion crossed her face; _I thought you needed to sever the heads. _

Will looked at the one shooting the arrows; it was Pearl, standing on some sort of podium that held a statue, shooting arrows. When all of the heads were down, the hydra demon disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving behind the purple guck that Tessa, Jem and Will were coated with. He managed to get Pearl's attention. He mouthed 'How?'

She mouthed back. 'Demon poison'

It made sense. The tips of the arrows were coated in a lethal kind of demon poison and shot quickly by Pearl. He mouthed back a thank you as Pearl hopped off the podium and resumed fighting off automatons.

To his surprise, he wasn't a least bit tired. He caught a glimpse of Juliette off a far corner, on a lamppost that didn't seem affected when the demon was taken down. Instead, she gave out an evil smile and pulled out a little device from her pocket, waved it to the group and pressed something on it.

"What-" Will started.

A loud thumping noise erupted, vibrating the ground and sending shivers through his spine. He could sense that it was more massive than the hydra demon. He looked at Jem and Tessa, who were both equally confused on what was going on. All Will knew that they were going to have to take down something more difficult and huger than the hydra demon.

The hydra demon was level one. Just for them to play with.

Whatever level two was, it was the real game.


	25. Crash and Burn

**Will: where have you been?**

**Me: procrastinating**

**Will: shame on you**

**Me: I know T^T . Wanna hug? :3**

**Will: *looks at me weird* No (walks away)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

The loud clank of metal screeching together stormed into the horizon line, as if it was claiming the ground where it stood theirs. Its ghastly black shadow cast eerily onto the shadowhunters and the clockwork creatures, which almost simultaneously paused and tried to make out what the thing was that was several stories taller and bigger than them. It was a huge mechanical creature, with long spidery legs that crushed deep into the cobblestones streets. Hard and big sheets of rusted metal held together by massive bolts covered the creatures that creaked when it moved. Chimney like rods poked out of the cracks of the machine that puffed black smoke whenever one of the legs moved. You could tell that clockwork machinery was making the thing move. The head or the front held hollow, red, robotic eyes covered by a pane of curved glass. The mouth was the whole diameter of the mouth, and when it opened it gave an ear splintering screech, rows of sharp teeth which were really chainsaws spinning in motion showed. Will could smell the oil and rust this far away from the beast. He looked at Juliette and called her whore in French before formulating another idea in his mind.

Tessa, Jem, and Cecily rushed over to Will who were both equally traumatized by the gigantic clockwork creature. Tessa stood willingly by the boys' side while she tried the clean the gunk out of her hair by the hydra demon. Jem was drawing a healing rune of Cecily's arm; somehow she managed to get a massive and deep cut near her elbow. Jem looked at Will in anticipation, and then looking at the monster trampling the streets with its screeches.

_Dammit Will _He hissed to himself. _Think of something! Anything is good than just standing here and doing nothing! _The hydra demon seemed to drain his focus out of him, he suddenly felt numb and he couldn't think. Was it possible to grow numb by just staring at the thing? Cecily looked at her brother in impatience, catching glimpses of the monster and the monster. She wiggled out Jem's grip on her arm and went to side with her brother.

She looked at the monster and squinted at the details of it. Cecily was looking at the body itself and how it worked. Some shadowhunters had already begun trying to take it down, but failed by miscalculating the thickness of the metal sheets that covered the monster. Their seraph blades bounced harmlessly bounced off as the monster shook them away. When the monster turned to its side, she caught a glance of a small _door. _It was hidden between one of the spider legs. A plan flashed in front of her.

"Do you see that door right there?" Cecily pointed to the door and made Will really look.

"Since we can't penetrate through the monster, we will have to get inside and destroy it from there." She reasoned. "You, me, Tessa and Jem can scale up the legs, get in and disable it."

Will stayed silent for a moment. "How can we scale up the legs if it's that tall? It will surely see us and shake us off easily."

"I think I can help you." A voice said, Will turned to see Henry standing beside him. His ginger hair was wildly thrown around, his goggles hung from his neck, dirt was smudged onto his shadowhunter gear. He stared at the monster and smiled triumphantly at Cecily, Tessa, Jem and Will.

"Adding to Miss. Herondale's excellent plan." He smiled towards Cecily. "I have an invention –"

"As always Henry." Will mumbled as Henry cleared his throat and moved on.

"-that will help with the process of taking this infernal beast down." He reached into his satchel and pulled two black cables, very long in size, coiled up as he handed one to Will. "you just throw them up and it will snag onto the surface, and to note this, very tightly. You attached the belt on and click the switch to spring yourself up."

Tessa blinked in surprise. "That's brilliant! But are you sure that they will work?"

"I used them already." He said proudly. "When a group of automatons corned me and Charlotte, I used one of my cables to tie my darling Charlotte and snag her up a building so she wouldn't be in any danger! I took those infernal devices like a man!"

Will clenched the coil around his fingers. He ran over the plan in his mind before explaining it again to his team. He looked at the clockwork creature that stormed through, crashing down buildings, sinking in the cobblestone streets, terrorizing everything in its path. The shadowhunters who were trying to climb off the beast looked like ants climbing up a tree. Jem, Tessa, Cecily looked at each other in a mixture of angst and confidence. They were going into the belly of the beast, and had a higher chance of dying. This was something that neither of them had prepared for.

They jogged toward the creature; a sinking feeling overcame them as they approached the monster. It's dark shadow cast onto them, tiny bits of rust, dust fell onto them while the creak of metal slamming together invaded their ears. The body shook and vibrated every time it moved. Will looked over to Jem who was yelling something at him, but he couldn't make out the words. Tessa, Will and Cecily separated from Jem and Henry as they began to make a huge loop with the belt to stand on. Tessa and Henry threw the snare as high up as they could and close enough to the door between the legs of the spider like creature. When it latched on, leaving a satisfying sound. They hopped onto the looped belt and nodded to each other. They tugged the rope as they shot up. The legs moved slowly, but enough for the ride to sway. Will maneuvered the cable wire to sway away from hitting the leg. Henry and Jem were doing just fine; you could even see a smirk on Henry's face as if he was enjoying it. The leg jolted downwards and the cable did too, then Cecily saw that the leg was going back up and was going to hit them.

"Will! Pull back!" She screamed as Will kicked the leg to make the cable swerve upwards. Just in time, the leg missed them and returned to its original spot. They swung back as Will pulled out his blade and drove it in as they almost slammed into the leg and it stopped them. They all sighed in relief as they began to scale upwards. When they approached at the top of the leg, they jumped on and steadied themselves against the body of the mechanical monster. Will unlatched the cable as they saw, to his relief, that Henry and Jem had made it, they were across from one another. They proceeded to the door as Jem drew his stele and busted the door open. They quickly went inside, before something could happen.

Will swayed suddenly to the right as the dim lights flickered inside. The whole place was moving violently. He steadied himself as her took a good look around him. Inside, the walls and ground were metal, rusted badly and screeched whenever the creature moved or they moved. There were three different hallways, very narrow and had pipes running along the sides of the walls. There were a few light bulbs that provided a little lighted area. The air smelled foul, it smelled like oil and rust mixed together. _There must be a way into the control system; one of these hallways must lead us through it _Will thought.

"Let's go to the middle hallway!" He yelled as he ran forward, Jem caught his shoulder. "But how do you know where to go?"

"It's not like we can just split up, this thing is huge and we can't afford to lose anybody. If this one doesn't lead us to the control room then we take another one." Will responded as Jem nodded. He led them though the poorly lit hallway. It was hard running though it without bumping into the walls because it was so narrow. Steam from the pipes puffed out and made it hard to see. Tessa ripped her sleeve in order to cover her mouth from the foul steam that was really gray smoke, and it burned her eyes too. The team kept on running as they reached another room. It was a medium sized room, pipes out lining the walls and huge gears and cogs tracing everywhere. In the middle was a huge bronze tank and beneath it was a large hole. Something was splashing inside the tank and drips of it were falling down onto the floor, and it sizzled where it fell.

"_Yanluo poison." _Jem whispered in a horrified tone, he reencountered memories of his share with the poison and his parents. _How did they ever get a gallon of Yanluo poison? _ Jem looked at the tank with great detail and saw a large bar hovering very close the tank. The tank was balancing on a rod that wasn't secured properly. He then knew that at some time the tank would tip over and splash over fellow shadowhunters. Nevertheless, he knew that he had to disable the device. He took his snare that was dangling from his belt and threw it the gears that made the large bar move.

"Jem!" Will yelled. "We almost left you!" He looked at Jem and the snare, and then Jem again. "What are you doing?"

"That" Jem pointed to the tank. "Is filled with Yanluo poison. I have to wreck the thing apart before it hits the town below." He yanked the gear as hard as he could but nothing moved.

"Jem-" He started, looking at his Parabatai's face. His eyes were reddening and determination written all over his face.

"I have to Will, I **have **to." He demanded as he yanked harder. The gears kept on spinning, no matter how Jem tried to yank it out of place.

"I know, let me help." Will said as he took the rope and helped Jem tug the gear out. Finally, they managed to rip the gear off. The metal bar swung down, no longer moving.

Jem smiled. "Thanks Will." He nodded as both boys darted to the continued hallway.

And then, a sickening _splorsh _sound brought their attention back to the tank.

Jem turned around to see something emerging from the tank. Its dirt colored bony structure was covered with the poison slime; its head was eerily un human with teeth flashing out. Its red pupils were swimming in the whites of the eyes, its tongue flickered.

"No." Jem gasped. "A _yanluo _demon."

In a split second the demon crawled out of the tank and saw the toy boys standing at the entrance of the hallway. It flashed its teeth at them as it began to dart forward. Will barred his teeth when he knew that he couldn't fight it upfront without getting the poison on him. His hand landed on the cable as he used it to his own advantage, he threw the cable like a whip and had the snare at the end attach it itself on one of its ribs. He yanked it as the bone sprung out of the body, the demon screeched as it darted forward. Will took the cable back as he grabbed Jem's wrist and led him speeding down the hallway.

Luckily, since the demon was wounded he was slower. Will and Jem managed to reach the control room where the team was trying to figure out how to shut the machine down. Will turned around and locked the door behind him. Tessa looked up and ran to hug Jem. Jem could feel her racing heartbeat against his chest.

"We thought we had lost you." Tessa said breathily as she pulled away.

Henry looked toward Will. "It seems that the only way to disarm the creature is destroying the legs first and then shutting down the main control system."

"Everyone, I want you to pull down every lever around this room and destroy it using the unlocking rune with your steles. Once everyone has done that, I will disarm the main control system." Henry explained.

"How are we going to get out?" Cecily asked.

Tessa looked up, there was an entrance to the top of the monster, and then she looked at the cables. "We can use the top entrance and zip line our way out using the cables with our tool belts before the thing destroys itself."

Everyone nodded as they started to get to work. Cecily shut down the lever closest to her and used the unlocking rune to destroy it even further. Sure enough, the lever sputtered and the bar fell apart from its holder. She could hear one of the legs shake and fall, the whole room flipped slightly down as everyone continued to work.

A loud thump and scratch erupted from the door. Will looked in complete disgust as the demon beyond the door. He swore as he saw one of its claws sheer though the door and burst open. Everyone screamed as the demon flashed its menacing teeth and lunged itself toward Will. Will used the cable and struck it across the chest. Jem used the other cable and positioned it to its leg and yanked on it, the leg was ripped off partially but the demon still screamed.

The demon turned around to see Cecily's terrified eyes looking at it. It hissed as it lunged itself across the room towards her as she screamed, Jem's eyes widened as it bared its teeth and threw its head to plunge it's teeth into her neck. His heart stopped as, without thinking, threw the cable to its head and yanked it off, using all of his strength. The head tumbled down as it rolled toward the wall and hit its face toward it. Cecily was hunched over and a tear of blood seamed down her face, her eyes were closed as she hit the floor.

"CECILY!" Will screamed as he ran to her side. He checked her pulse to make sure that she was still alive. Her heartbeat was slow and her breathing was barely audible. He checked her head, he hair mangled and coated with blood. To Will's dismay, she got a severe concussion. Will checked to see if the creature had bitten her. _God, if that thing bit you… _he said in panic.

Jem went over and checked to see if the _Yanluo _demon had bitten her. His heart was racing too, seeing Cecily so broken up like this. His hands were trembling as he checked to see any bite marks. He looked over to Will and he was trembling badly, his eyes were reddening and he was rambling to himself, his voice tight as if he was about to cry. He drew a strength and healing rune on her, but it wouldn't stop the bleeding. Her eyes didn't open up.

"Will, Jem, Tessa, I and Tessa have disarmed the last of the levers and I am going to disarm the main control. After I do that, we need to get out of here fast using Tessa's plan." Henry said slowly. "Then after that, Will will take Cecily to the institute."

Will said nothing as he picked his sister up and carried her piggy back style. Tessa climbed up towards the entrance using a ladder and thrust it open. She climbed on as she helped Will and Jem up. She nodded towards Henry as he shut the main control down and scurried onto the ladder and up the top of the creature. A machine dying sound came on as the monster began to shake uncontrollably as huge sparks erupted from inside. Will gave Henry the cable as he threw it to a monument close by. He untied the belt around Will's waist as he used it to loop it around the cable to make a swing. Will went first, then Tessa, Jem and Henry. They fortunately hit the ground just in time before the monster could strike the ground and burst into flames.

"Good job everybody." Henry said as everyone nodded. Will kept quiet as he looked in worry at his little sister, her breathing became more eradicated.

"Will, she's going to be fine." Jem assured him. "She's got a strong heart and spirit." And then, he suddenly felt dizzy and nauseated at the same time. His knees buckled and Tessa caught him by the arm before he could fall.

"Jem, are you alright?" Tessa asked frantically.

"I-It's just the illness." Jem stuttered, Tessa put his arm around her shoulder and motioned towards Will to begin walking towards the institute, leaving Henry to be ambushed by his wife that was screaming and rejoicing at the sight of her husband.

.oO0Oo.

"NO, I WILL STAY HERE WITH MY SISTER! I REFUSE TO LEAVE THIS ROOM, I just can't-"

Sophie and Cyril held back a thrashing Will as they tried to drag him out of the room. Brother Enoch was here to check if Cecily had ingested the poison and if she obtained the same illness as Jem. Will watched in worry as Cecily groaned in her sleep as sweat covered her forehead. He looked at Brother Enoch and pled-

_William Herondale, you know this. Your sister cannot heal while you are distracting her and my healing. _Brother Enoch said through his mind. Cyril and Sophie pulled Will out of the room, dodging his leg and fist attacks at them. Once they got him out, someone locked the door before he could barge in again.

Jem was watching, half awake. Someone already fed him yin fen and laid him down to rest. His eyelids were drooping as he looked at Cecily to his left. Brother Enoch raised his hand and a golden light emanated from his palm, probably scanning to see if the poison was running through her veins. He watched through minutes through long minutes as Brother Enoch started to wrap up his inspection. Before he could go outside and inform the grief-struck brother, he started to heal Cecily's wounds. He could tell when he was finished when Cecily sighed in comfort and she didn't look so mangy. Jem heard the door close behind him as he saw her eyes flicker open. Her thick eyelashes batted as the hue of her soft, blue eyes stared at the ceiling, and then to Jem on her side.

They stared at each other for quite a while. Cecily breaking the silence first.

"What happened to you?" She said in a mellow voice, her lips barely moving.

"Illness." He responded, his throat dry and his lips cracked.

"Oh" She said back, and then pausing for a brief moment to breathe in a big amount of air. "Am I like you now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I have the poison in me?" She asked. "I won't cry or get mad, tell me."

"I don't know." Jem said. "Brother Enoch just left."

Her eyes faltered, she averted her gaze off of Jem and onto the floor. He tried to read any expression of fear or sadness, but it was just complete calmness. He wondered if it was because of Brother Enoch's healing.

"Jem" She started slowly

"Yes?"

"You were the one who saved me right?" She asked, her steady gaze on him. Her blue eyes full with curiosity and innocence.

He nodded in response. A breath taking smile appeared on her porcelain like face. "Thank you" She whispered.

"Jem?" She asked again.

"Hmm?" Sleep was taking him under, but he managed to fight it.

"Why did you save me?" She said in a small voice, mainly because sleep was taking her too.

He pondered for a moment before saying anything. "Because Will would consider suicide over losing you." And then he smiled. "And you are my friend."

"Oh." She said again, only this time Jem could've sworn that there was hint of disappointment in her voice. He watched as she curled in fetal position as she took one look at Jem before falling asleep.

Before Jem could fall asleep, a thought popped in his mind. What would he do if Cecily passed away? He didn't have time to answer though, his eyelids closed and his breathing evened as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The thought of Cecily dying appeared in his dreams and his heart panged in pain as he took that as the answer to his question.

**As Will said, yep, I've been procrastinating. Sorry about the wait :( :) I'm really hoping to finish this story before the release of Clockwork Princess! (AHHHHH YESSSSS) I'm aiming for my whole story to be finished before march begins, but I still have a lot to write! Anyways I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! :) :) :) :3**

**Will: on second thought, I could use that hug-**

**Me: slams into him and falls to the floor.**

**Sophie walks in…and then Sophie walks out. **


	26. And they all fall down

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

Tessa had never felt so alive.

All of her training skills taught to her were coming to her reflexively. She didn't even need to stop and think. Punches, dagger strikes, and kicks just came out of her with such grace. She was glad that she could fight side by side with the two boys that she held close to her. She was also glad she had the ability to protect them now. Tessa was invincible, and no automaton could stop her. She could sheer off automaton's head, or arm without any trouble at all, and she could also fight with a minimum of three at a time. Tessa recollected her first encounter with an automaton back as Lady Esther's manor. She smiled to see how much progress she made so far.

Right now, she was fighting at London Bridge, overlooking the polluted River Thames. Her plan was to work her way to the institute, fighting off any automatrons that came her way. While she fought, she wondered where Mortmain kept all of these automatrons, and how long did he start building an entire army? She figured he had people trained to build these, but still, the machine itself looked very hard to piece together and would've taken a majority of time. While she was thinking, she could not help but feel guilt and a bit of remorse when she come to the conclusion on why the first place he was building them anyway. When the automaton whirred to a stop and fell over, she encountered the same thought that always left her sad. _Perhaps I was better off dead._

As she advanced forward, she saw Juliette hopping from one place to another. Fighting off shadowhunters from right to left with her trusty whip, leaving the shadowhunters injured and possibly dead. Her face was brimming with amusement, as if she enjoying the deaths of so many shadowhunters. Tessa wrinkled her nose in disgust as they grew closer together. Juliette took a notice to Tessa and flashed her catlike teeth in a way of mocking her. Tessa ignored her rude gesture as she gripped her blade as Juliette pranced toward her. They were at the middle of bridge, facing each other and ready to duel to the death.

She flipped her vibrant red hair. "We meet again." She said politely.

"For the last time, I want to end this." Tessa replied coldly.

"Then let's proceed, you first." She gestured. Tessa blinked back in surprise when Juliette spread her arms, relaxed her hands so that the whip was barely hanging as it touched the ground. Tessa took a huge step and swung the blade over her head. Juliette dodged the attack, squatted, and used her leg to trip Tessa. Luckily, she jumped before she could hit the ground. She tried to step in again but she pranced back as she swung her whip at her, producing that awful sound of wind slicing. It wrapped around her wrist as Tessa was yanked down to the ground. Juliette was above her, placing her foot on her stomach and adding pressure.

"What did you mean when we were sisters?" Tessa blurted out. She closed her mouth and tried to think of a reason why she would start a conversation in the middle of a serious fight.

Juliette blew a strand of hair out of her face as she snickered. "You don't believe me? Can't you see that we are so much alike?"

Tessa hissed. "I am nothing like you." She managed to roll over, get back up to face Juliette. She kicked with such force that even Juliette was surprised. Juliette advanced forward and lashed her weapon out.

"Do you want to know everything?" Juliette taunted." It's a pretty big drain of energy once you hear about it."

"Tell me." Tessa challenged as their fight drew much faster than anticipated.

"Our mother was a weak one." She started out, emphasizing the mother part with disgust. "First of all, she knew about the shadowhunter world. She was merely a silly, useless mundane-"

"You're not a mundane?" She asked.

Juliette wrinkled her nose and gave her a rude stare. "Obviously not. I'm a 'shadowhunter' but I don't go around killing demons. I work for Mortmain."

"Anyway, she was working for Mortmain. They were investigated this peculiar object because it possessed great power that both of them wanted to obtain for other reasons. They were in possession of this object. Mortmain's wife-"

"_Axel Mortmain has a wife?" _Tessa said in disbelief as she dodged Juliette attacks. So far she was doing well and didn't get any serious injuries from her whip.

"Yes I know, _shocking." _She mocked "As I was saying, Mortmain's wife was also working with Axel. One day, Mortmain had to attend a meeting somewhere and your mother was ill. So his wife was to work alone. When she was done her work, she packed the object with her for her studies as she journeyed home in a carriage. She got into a carriage accident and died. Mortmain returned to find out the news that his wife was dead and that the object was out of its place and was missing. Mortmain searched the accident, searched everywhere and he could still not find it. Months passed, and the object was still not found. He was determined to find the object and go any lengths to obtain it."

Tessa was trying to digest all of the information that was given to her. Even though she barely had any trace of memory of her mother what so ever, it was quite shocking to hear.

"Mortmain knew about shape shifters and thought of using them to his advantage to contact his wife to tell him the whereabouts of the object-"

"Did he ask for me? Did he know that my mother bore a shape shifter?"

"Yes, he knew that our mother bore a shape shifter. But Mother never told Mortmain about you, you had another sister."

Dumbfounded, Tessa staggered back in surprise_. "What?"_

"Our weak mother wouldn't allow it. She said that we didn't know how to use our powers. Mortmain, letting nothing stand in his way, snuck into her house and stole your twin sister while she was sleeping. Unfortunetly, our brat of a sister woke up and threw a panic attack on Mortmain and tried to run away. Before she could yell to wake mother, Mortmain, without thinking, killed her. But, he made use of her fresh corpse. He invented the automaton, using vital parts of your twin sister's body to make a half machine and half shape shifter. It could think like a human, can express feelings of a human and it can age because of the advanced mind of shape shifters he used in his machine. The next day, when he was going to test out his subject, it mysteriously vanished. He was angered. And that same time, he got a report that our mother was trying to escape. He figured that our mother went to work early and found the remains of her daughter's body and clothes. He caught up with her with a horse, and saw you inside, remember, he didn't know about you yet and thought that she was taking his creation away. Our mother saw Mortmain and made the driver go faster, changing their direction to Aunt Harriet's house. She managed to talk to Aunt Harriet and hide you away. Mortmain caught up with us, but he couldn't find you. In rage, he killed mother and kidnapped me, thinking that he could use me, and I was a toddler, and make me into a half automaton and half shape shifter."

Tessa was silent for a moment. A thousand questions answered and a thousand questions born. _So that is what Mortmain meant when he said 'I made you?'It was all a misunderstanding? I have three sisters? What is this peculiar object? _

"Are you a shape shifter?" She asked cautiously.

"No." Juliette replied coldly and bitterly. "Perhaps if I was then maybe Mortmain would have paid more attention to me. He was like my father you know!" Her voice was raised, and Tessa could hear the pain in the way she spoke.

"He never showed me any attention! He never cared about my safety! But he cared about yours! But, _you. You _make me **sick. **Even though I am not on your side, how can you let a massive group of people fight in order to keep you safe and be fine with it? Are you really above it all? Do you think you are actually worth fighting for?" She bared her teeth and used the whip to her trip her. Tessa didn't manage to dodge it like last time. She fell down as Juliette pinned her down. Tessa struggled as Juliette drew a knife out of her belt, holding it above Tessa's heart.

"And now I get to knock you out so I can deliver you to the magister." She sneered. _"_If it wasn't for my mission, I would have killed you right on the spot."

Tessa closed her eyes and held her tongue as she anticipated the sting of the knife sinking in. Then suddenly Juliette's weight flew off of her as Tessa gave out a gasp of air. Juliette screamed in rage as she turned around to meet her new opponent. Will stood before the two girls, his blue eyes looked savage in determination, and his face was covered with glistening sweat and smoke residue. Tessa scrambled up as Will went between the two girls and gently backed Tessa up as he lunged at Juliette with the seraph blade in his tight grip.

Tessa stood there for a moment, dazed at the fierce battle between the two. Their swings, kicks and punches were so fast that they blurred. She shook her head out of her daydream and focused on helping Will fight off Tessa's _sister. _Juliette noticed Tessa and drew her attention away from Will and onto her. Fires of rage were plainly seen in her eyes as she spread her deep hatred towards Tessa. While Tessa was dodging her forceful and vigorous attacks, she felt a pang of pity knotting her stomach. Clearly, Juliette was speaking through her actions. She wanted to make Tessa feel all the pain of being unloved; she wanted her to feel the horrible consequences of having other people fight your fight. Big fat teardrops fell down her cheeks and down her throat, Juliette's face reddened with anger. Her attacks were more violent and faster as time went by. Tessa shook her head into thinking that she pitied Juliette. _She takes her anger and her hatred of being unloved onto other people so violently. She wouldn't listen, she wouldn't reason, she picked violence as her way out. She tried to kill the people I love and want to protect. _She reminded herself. _She deserves no pity._

Will came in and tried to stab Juliette in the back but she saw that. She whirled around, and stabbed him with her knife in the stomach. Juliette withdrew the knife as Will stood there, in shock as he stumbled back.

"Will!" Tessa cried.

Tessa slashed Juliette on the face with the blade, leaving a straight and clean cut across her face. She screamed in pain as she clutched her face in agony. She used her whip to wrap itself around Tessa's ankle to trip her. She fell down as her ankle twisted in a un human way. Will sluggishly stepped in and was about to deliver the final blow when suddenly Juliette grabbed onto Will's shirt and turned him around in fast motion and pinned him against the railing of London Bridge. His weapon fell into the deep, murky, rapids below. She cackled as she pushed him further, avoiding his struggles to get out of her grip before he could fall.

"TESSA DON'T YOU SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING PEOPLE FIGHT YOUR FIGHTS? THEY DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR FOOLISHNESS. WATCH AS YOUR BELOVED LITTLE ESCORT DIE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU." She cackled in the craziest laugh Tessa has ever heard. "HAHAhaHAhahaHa-"

With the last of her strength, Tessa managed to clutch her blade and limp quickly towards Juliette and stabbed her three times in the back. Tessa withdrew the bloody knife as she stopped laughing and fell backwards, her head hitting the hard pavement with a sickening _crack. _Her eyes were open and her face was white as sheet. It was hard to see the blood because of her vibrant red hair but Tessa knew that she was dead.

Tessa turned around to help Will up. But before she could reach him, she witnessed the scariest thing in her life. Her heart stopped as his limp body slip beyond the railing, his immobile hand covering his stomach. Tessa took a huge step forward as she clutched the bloody railing to witness Will plummet into the murky rapids of River Thames. At that moment Tessa couldn't hear, couldn't speak and couldn't think. Everything in her turned numb.

"**WILL!" **she screamed, she looked frantically in the water but she couldn't find him. Tessa turned around to find somebody to help her. Tessa spotted Henry fighting off a group of Cecily automatons.

"Henry!" She called out. He looked at her direction and finished off the automatons with one blow of some invention he created and ran over. Henry could see the obvious shock on her face because it was pale as a ghost. "What is it dear Tessa?" He asked politely.

Tessa tried to make out words, "W-Will, he, he fell o-o-over. Ri-iv-er Thame-s."

His eyes widened. _"No"_

He looked over the railing and tried to find him through the murky mess of the river. Finally, they spotted a vague, limp body emerging from the water, being carried out through the waves.

"I have an idea." He announced, he took out his cable and attached it to his waist. "I will go over and get Will while you hold the other end. When I got him, I will yell at you to pull me back up." Tessa nodded as she held onto the end of the cable and looped it around the railing once so she wouldn't have to carry so much weight. Henry began to scale down the railing, eventually hanging in mid air. Tessa let the rope pass slowly through her fingers until Henry yelled at her to stop. She waited for him for a couple of minutes before he yelled at her to pull them back up. Tessa pulled as hard as she could, but it was still too much. She couldn't do it.

"Tessa?"

Tessa turned her head to see Jem running towards her. He was all better now since Sophie treated his wounds and gave him some Yin Fen. Also, Cecily was fine too and it turned out she did not have obtain the same disease that Jem had. Her smile faded when she knew she had to explain what she doing.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "I was finishing off a fight when I happened to see you tugging on a rope-"

"Henry is on the other side." She replied in a thick voice.

He raised his eyebrows as he took the end of the rope and helped to pull. "Then good Lord, let me help you-"

"Will fell over when Juliette stabbed him. Henry is taking him up." Tessa finished.

The rope jerked forward and Tessa knew that he let the rope slip in his hands. He said nothing as he gripped on the rope hard and yanked it with all his might, eventually stumbling back when Henry approached the railing and heaved Will's body onto the pavement. Jem helped Henry over as they turned toward Will.

Tessa sank down. His face was gruesomely pale and his eyes were closed. Cuts and bruises were forming everywhere on his skin. His bloody stomach pooling everywhere mixed in with river water. Henry went over and checked his pulse, and then he hovered over his head and cupped his ear.

"I can't hear him breathe." Henry said softly. "I can't feel his pulse."

Tessa looked over to Jem. He looked pale as well, but his attention wasn't on Will. His wrist was flashing. _The Parabatai rune._

"The Parabatai rune." Jem whispered shakily. "It's fading."

Tessa felt her whole world crash down on her in a second.

Could the great Will Herondale, the one who sacrificed his own happiness to protect the ones he loved, be dead?

**PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. I left it off this chapter with a **_**question **_**and a **_**possibility that **__**Will MIGHT be alive. **_**Just watch as my email is loaded with hate mail T^T. But hold on guys, the next chapter will be posted up really soon because I know that everyone hates cliffhangers. **

**I know everything with Juliette's explanation in kind of confusing, but I'm going to sum it up in another chapter. **

**JUST, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. T^T**


	27. Take me Away

**No more waiting! Here is the chapter where you find out about our beloved Will, and I'm not kidding, I did tear up in this chapter. T^T**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

"_No light, no light in your bright blue eyes, I never knew daylight could be so violent. A revelation in the light of day. You can't choose what stays and what fades away. And I 'd do anything to make you stay."- Florence + The Machine_

His limp body, once muscular, tall and lean body looked weak. His face, that held features of an angel, was pale without blush with bags under his closed azure eyes. There didn't seem to be any evidence of life in him. Blood was painted thickly on the cobblestone grounds, seeping into the gaps that led to the sewers. People were around him, were yelling in panic and screaming in sadness. But Tessa stood still. She uttered no word from her paralyzed lips, she made no movement because she could not feel her legs, and no feature in her face moved. The noise around her sounded distant and far, and now everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She felt trapped underwater and she couldn't summon her legs to kick up and swim to the surface where the sun touched the water. She now found it harder to breathe and was now gasping for air. Her heart made no sound, but felt three times as heavy. Tessa trembled violently as she came to the shocking realization as she watched Jem's Parabatai rune slowly fade away into wisps.

_Will is dead._

She burst out of the water and sucked in the air in a loud gasps. Her trembling grew worse, as her head and her chest started to hurt. Tessa could not feel any tears coming out, and it was the only way to let the sadness burst out. Tessa never felt weaker in her life, her knees suddenly gave out as she picked herself up before she could fall. Her lips unfroze as she uttered the first word that came to her mind. "_No, no."_

Tessa found herself muttering the two letter word over and over again to herself. She snapped out of her trance when she realized that Jem, Henry and Will vanished. She turned around to see Jem and Henry carrying Will's body to the institute. She ordered her feet to start walking, and very slowly she took each step at a time. She finally obtained a small amount of strength enough to jog to the institute. Tessa bombarded through the mess of clockwork, pushing everything out her way. She approached the steps as she opened the door and slammed it shut. The air was surprising stale as she ventured to find Henry, Jem and Will. She found Henry, Jem, Sophie and Pearl in the infirmary discussing with Sophie about what happened. When Sophie touched Will's wrist for his pulse, she jumped back in surprise to how cold it was. Jem was at Will's side, looking as blank as ever, he suddenly bent over as Henry caught him in surprise. Jem cried so hard that it broke Tessa's heart even further. The bond between the two brothers was severed.

Tessa gasped some air in, as she felt a huge surge of tears coming on. Not wanting to face the others, she ran up the stairs, went to the room and shut her door. She put a secure lock rune on it to make sure no one would come in. A mix of strong feelings began to take over. Tessa tried to cry but for some reason she couldn't. She threw her weapons belt on her bed as she combed her hair back repeatedly to calm herself as she paced the room quickly. Tessa thought of the people downstairs mourning over the death of Will Herondale, but they didn't know Will like she did. Tessa knew Will even more than Jem.

_Will. _She whispered. _You sacrificed your own life to protect someone as foolish as me. You protected everyone you loved so they would not die. But then you met me-_

A single tear fell from her eye. But then she continued as she paced the room. _But then you met me and pushed me away. I didn't know your reasons. Why was I so stupid not to realize that there was something wrong in your behavior Will? You acted like a gentleman in one conversation only to end it with an insult. Then you told me that you loved me and told me the whole truth, but I was engaged to your best friend. I saw the pain and sorrow in your eyes, the hope that you kept so long inside of you that I trampled firmly on. You didn't tell anyone of your situation, and you didn't even tell Jem. You even sacrificed your chance with me in order to make Jem happy. You accepted our engagement. I felt empty, selfish and stupid. All you ever wanted was for someone to love you back. And then I told you I hated you after that conversation on the roof. You believed that I hated you but I didn't. Why am i-_

Before she knew it, a mess of hot tears were spilling down her cheeks as her thoughts became fragmented. It was even harder to breathe and harder to contain the pain coursing through her like poison. _Why am I even living? I don't deserve to live! This whole war is because of me. Will died because of me. I cannot make Jem happy because I am not happy. It's all because of me. Why Will? Why did you choose me? Why did you not choose from several other women? Why couldn't you see that Jem is in love with me too? _

She thought of those heavenly blue eyes that always held love for her, she thought of the time where Will protected Tessa with his own body in that tea warehouse, how he kissed her in the attic and on the balcony. She thought of his bright smiles, his funny and arrogant jokes, his deep passionate kisses that Tessa loved, his quotes on books. She thought of how she felt when Will told Tessa he loved her in the drawing room. All the passion and love that she felt toward him when she knew that she couldn't be with him. She thought of the pain he caused when they would brush each other down the hallways, that uncomfortable silence they shared in the library, all the fights that they endured. She learned so much about herself when she came to know Will, and she began to know everything about Will. Even the smallest observations, like after a huge insult or a fight he would always lower his eyelids and the blue in his eyes were grow fuller. It was hard enough standing in one room with him and not jump into his arms and kiss him deeply. In addition to Pearl in the family, Jealousy would take over her.

She screamed and cried. The death of Will was simply too much to handle, and she needed some other way to express her anger, her pain, and her sadness rather than crying her eyes out. She stopped walking back and forth and came across the mirror. The desire to burn herself again was so overwhelming that she punched the mirror. Her reflection, and the mirror shattered as Tessa was left with a bloody fist. She violently pushed the porcelain jug for her ablutions as it crashed to the floor. Water seeped through the wood and splashed on her ankles. Still crying and screaming, she went over to her bookshelf and began to yank the books out. _I miss you so much Will. _She cried. _I don't want you to be in heaven. I want you to be here and with me._

She caught a glimpse of her seraph blade on her weapons belt. Without thinking, she withdrew from the case and looked at the wicked blade. She thought how selfish it would be for her to commit suicide and leave Jem and everyone she loved. But all she could think about was Will and how much she wanted to be with him.

"Tessa?" Someone said urgently, tugging on the door. "What is going on over there? Let me in!"

Tessa wrinkled her nose it was Pearl on the other side. Good God she double locked the door. The doorknob turned repeatedly to open it. "Go away." She sobbed "I'll be gone before you open the door."

The doorknob stopped turning. "By the angel Tessa open the goddamn door before you do something stupid!"

Tessa raised the knife over her heart and attempted to stab herself before the door was kicked down as Pearl what Tessa was going to do as she tried to yank the knife out of her hands. Tessa screamed and hissed like a feral animal as they fought over the knife.

"No! Leave me alone!" Tessa screamed as Pearl locked both of her arms with some sort of special maneuver as she stretched for the knife. Pearl managed to snatch the knife away and heave it out the window. Tessa screamed and cried again.

"NO YOU SICK BASTARD! I WANT TO DIE!" She fell to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. Pearl didn't loosen her grip on Tessa. In Pearl's eyes is was truly heartbreaking to see one of her good friends attempt suicide, and what could have happened If she didn't open the door on time.

"Tessa, _please." _Pearl breathed as she combed Tessa's hair to soothe her. She began to form tears as well. "We all miss Will."

Tessa felt rage twitch through her body. She turned around and screamed into Pearl's face. "_BUT YOU AREN'T IN LOVE WITH HIM LIKE I AM!"_ She fell to the floor crying as Pearl tried to put away what Tessa just said to her face and think about it next time. Pearl continued to comb her hair as Tessa continued to dampen the floor with her tears.

.o0o.

Tessa woke up the noise of clockwork gears rubbing together from outside the window. She blinked her eyes open that were sore from crying. Her lips were cracked and her face felt stretched. Her head and her heart felt equally heavy as the rest of her body laid immobile. Tessa groaned at the sudden physical pain the surged up her wrist and the rest of her body. The fist she used to punch the mirror was healed, probably from an iratze. Her back ached and it hurt to get up. Tessa fully opened her eyes to a different room. Everything was neat, no books out of order, no water spilled onto the floor, no smashed mirror, no smashed porcelain jug. Tessa sighed as she sat up. At her fingertips she could feel the wetness of her tears on the pillow. And then she laid back down when she came to the root of crying.

Nothing changed. Will was still dead. Tessa could cry no more but was free to mourn. She curled up in fetal position, fiddling with her clockwork angel while trying to delete all of her memories and past thoughts about Will Herondale, but she couldn't. Tessa tried to sleep again but she always woke up to a faded memory of those unforgettable blue eyes. Tessa missed him so much and she wondered if he was looking at her now from above, thinking of her.

Then she thought of her suicide attempt. Tessa had to admit, she was getting ahead of herself when she accepted the idea of suicide as her way out. She thought how sad Jem would be when he found out. She thought how Will would be disappointed in her for ending her life just so she could be with him. Tessa closed her eyes and pretended that Will was beside her, holding her as she mourned and slept. But when she fully believed that he was there, she would turn around to clutch onto empty space. Tessa gave up on not thinking of Will because it was nearly impossible, and let her own mind wander. She thought of how Jem was faring. He was probably locked up in his room, curled up, thinking of Will just like her. She wondered if Pearl was mad at her for screaming at her face, she would have to apologize later. She wondered where Cecily was, and if she knew about her brother. _Oh that poor little girl _Tessa wept s_he truly has no one to lean on anymore._

Then her thoughts led her to Mortmain. The other centre root of her problems. A boil of rage bubbled in her stomach as Tessa was forced to calm it down because of exhaustion. But that despicable man, destroying innocent lives for his automatons. He destroyed Tessa's family, he turned Juliette into another person who could have been a nice sister, he killed several shadowhunters, _he messed up Will's family._ After thinking over the horrible things that Mortmain did. But then again, it all led back to her. It was her fault and she decided the only way to make up for it.

_I am going to turn myself in to end this all._

She lifted her heavy and weary body out of the covers and tied her boots on. She took a glance at the mirror before leaving, which was a mistake. She was blotchy and red from crying, her eyes were blood shot and her hair was a tangled mess. Tessa didn't take the time to fix herself up. Before she touched the door she had to remind herself that no one should see her leave. With the thought in mind, she slightly drew an open rune and a silence/stealth rune on the doorknob. Without a sound, the door opened a slight creak. Tessa went outside and surveyed the hallways. She tiptoed her way to her room to get her weapons belt. Fortunately, it was open and there was no one inside. The room was left in the same condition as Tessa left it. She grabbed her belt as she proceeded down the stairs. She crept low as she decided to make a run for it to the door (which was already open). Tessa smiled at her little victory as she descended down the institute staircase where chaos was awaiting her, and disappeared in the crowds of shadowhunters fighting with automatons.

Tessa vigorously searched the crowds for Mortmain. As she power walked, energy came out of nowhere and started to fuel her empty spirit. It was fed by anger and lust. Tessa caught a glimpse of a middle aged man that looked like Mortmain in a small, cornered alleyway and jumped at the chance. Before she could sneak up on him, he turned around. It was not Mortmain, but another shadowhunter. He disappeared back into the centre of automatons.

She frowned as she proceeded her search when she heard someone fall from above and step onto the ground. Tessa turned around to see Sergei, quite and emotionless as always but with grace in every step. He stood his ground as he looked at his opponent in front of him. Tessa slowly advanced forward and produced her knife for the first strike. He dodged it quickly and knocked off the knife with his sword. Tessa skidded with her knees, grabbed her fallen weapon, did a back flip (that took her an agonizing twelve weeks to master) and made a wide slicing arch towards Tessa; it cut his baggy shirt open but didn't manage to wound him. Sergei stepped back, took a strong grip on Tessa's wrist and flipped her over. She landed with a painful thug as Sergei hovered above her, holding a vial of some purple liquid in his gloved hands. Tessa realized it was a sleeping potion from the label. She grabbed her weapon, knocked the vial out of his hand and proceeded to stab his chest.

Which bounced harmlessly off his chest.

"What-" Tessa started as she was interrupted by a another individual in the cornered area

"Sergei, you can let Theresa go."

Tessa knew that there was only one person that fully said her name and would give orders to Sergei and listen. He stepped away from her as Tessa stood up and looked at Mortmain in the face. His clothes showed no dirt or smoke residue on and his face had no cuts or bruises. Tessa knew right away that Mortmain was not joining the fight. His face remained calm as he stepped closer to her, trying to tell her that he had no intention of attacking her with surprise.

"Theresa, you know better than to fight me. We can compromise." Mortmain soothingly said.

Tessa dropped her weapon with trembling hands. "I did not come to fight." She said in shaky voice. "I here to turn myself in."

He was taken aback, expecting some sort of verbal and physical fight. But then he gave a sly Cheshire grin. "So you have finally come to your senses. So tell me dear Theresa, what changed your mind hmm? You couldn't handle the deaths of your beloved?"

Tessa didn't say anything for a while. "Swear it on your own life" she interrupted. "that you stop this war and seize your automatons."

He nodded hastily. "Yes, yes" Mortmain turned towards Sergei and motioned to cuff her hands and take her away. Tessa stood silently as everything inside her began to pound with fear. She had to remind herself that she wasn't going to be killed because Mortmain needed her. Sergei came forward and produced a small burlap sack. Tessa felt the rough texture of the rope rub against her wrist with pain.

'And now." Mortmain smiled. " A bag to cover your face. We wouldn't want any attention would we?"

The sack was placed over her head as her hair tangled itself in it. The sack smelled awful as Tessa wrinkled her nose in disgust. Someone jolted her forward as she was tugged into walking. She took deep breathes and said a silent goodbye to everyone she was leaving behind. Mortmain could be taking her far away from here, where no one could find her. Tessa shed a tear as she disappeared from the ones she loved.

.o0o.

Jem snapped out if his favorite memory and faced reality. He came back to the day where he met Will and started their friendship. A tear shed from his eyes and he was sick all over again. Jem was still holding Will's frail hand and could not believe that he managed to die first. That he would be the one attending his funeral. He shook his head and refused to believe it. It was supposed to be other way around. The proud, arrogant, caring Will he grew up with slipped out of his reach. He was breathless and speechless and droned out of everyone talking at the same time. His rune was so dim, and half of it was gone. Usually Parabatai runes would wear off in an hour, he wondered what was taking so long. It couldn't be that Will was still alive because of the fact that Jem's rune was still there. He wasn't breathing and his heart wasn't beating, he was dead for sure.

Sophie was even crying. Jem came over and took hold of her hand for comfort. It was heartbreaking to see a member of the institute die right in front of them. Jem thought of how Charlotte would react, to see someone so close as her son in the arms of Angel Raziel. She would not cope and not even Henry could comfort her. Jem let go of Will's hand gingerly as he wept with the others and turned away. No one could comfort him. No one had a bond so close to Will as him. They were blood brothers and they were inseparable, until now.

Someone hooded and holding a long staff came into the room. It was brother Enoch. He shuffled across the room as no one paid the slightest bit of attention towards him. He paused for a moment before turning in their direction. Everyone looked at him curiously as his shadow hovered over Will. He raised his hand as it gave off a luminescent light. He hovered it over Will's heart before closing his fist to choke the light out. His hooded face turned to Jem.

"_Is your Parabatai rune still glowing blue?" _He gruffly asked.

Jem curiously nodded and wondered what did all of this had to do with the death of Will. "Yes."

"_It means you're not feeling any pain or a significant drop of stamina. Am I correct?"_

"Precisely, but what is this all about Brother Enoch-"

He interrupted him. "We have a chance to save him." Everyone stopped what they were doing and snapped their full attention to Brother Enoch.

"But isn't he already dead?" Sophie asked in her small voice.

_No. _Brother Enoch responded. _If the rune is still intact with the other person, you can save the other by redrawing the rune in the exact location. But this rarely works. If I draw the rune incorrectly ,the two of them can die. I have seen it before._

_Will can be saved. _Jem thought, a pang of determination and hope sprung into action. He didn't care one bit that he could die because originally he had been planning his death years ago and had overcome the fear. He wanted to save his brother, and he needed his brother with him. He looked at the others and slowly nodded towards them. Sophie shed a tear as Bridget patted her shoulder. They all nodded at Jem as he turned willingly to Brother Enoch.

"Tell me how to do it." Jem demanded.

Brother Enoch nodded at him as he reached out his hand and pointed to the Parabatai rune glowing on his wrist. "_I deduct that Mr. Herondale's rune is also drawn over his wrist?"_

"Yes." He replied.

"_First, of all. You must remember in the beginning of the Parabatai ritual, you pressed your wrist onto your newly brother's wrist to form the pact. You must repeat this so it will leave a mark on your Parabatai's wrist."_

Jem remembered it alright, but half of his rune vanished. "But half of my rune is gone."

_But we must try. _Brother Enoch insisted. _Now move on unless you want to see your Parabatai die again."_

Jem aligned his wrist onto Will's as he felt a slight tugging motion. It felt blistering cold. He wondered if it was because of the ritual or Will's cold skin. He looked upon the silent brother for further instruction.

"_Quickly release you wrist." _He commanded. Jem released his wrist and sure enough, half of the rune was imprinted on Will's wrist. Jem's own rune stopped vanishing and gleamed still. Will's on the other hand was gleaming as well.

"_Give me your stele." _He motioned as Jem used his other hand to produce his stele hanging from his belt. Brother Enoch took it carefully as he set the tip at the start of the rune. _"I will do my best to recreate the rest of the rune. You will feel extreme pain but it will be very short. You shall not cover your wrist when I do this. I suggest that your friends should hold you back."_

The others stepped forward and took a hold of Jem's arms as he nodded for Brother Enoch to proceed. Jem closed his eyes and prayed that it would work. His heart drummed faster as he felt the first sting, growing into the most pain he had been since he contracted his illness. He yelled in anguish, his friends holding him back as much as he could. The temptation to cover or rub his wrist was unbelievable.

Brother Enoch gracefully and quickly redrew the rune. A bright glow shined from the rune as he covered Will's wrist tightly, letting no light escape from the rune through his bony fingers. Jem screeched in pain as the light began to settle down and disappear. Jem sank to his knees and felt a decrease of energy. He wondered if it was because it didn't work and that the runes were fading, but he hoped that he was wrong.

The silent brother lifted his hand as Sophie gasped. There, on Will's wrist, was a newly drawn rune.

"Jem, Jem you have to see this!" Sophie exclaimed as she helped him lift himself off the floor. He stood there shaking when color slowly returned to Will's face and felt the most tranquil sound he had ever heard: his brother's soft breathing. He broke into a smile and let out tears of joy. It had worked, Will was going to be alright and he would wake up soon. His smile was so huge that it wouldn't have fit the door. He looked gratefully at Brother Enoch a mouthed a thank you. He was speechless.

"_No need to thank me." _Brother Enoch said as he walked away with his staff. "_I've been healing for decades."_

"Wait" Jem said. "How come this ritual wasn't taught to other Parabatai bonds?"

"_I have observed it with a bond far from here and was taught to me years ago. I taught my brothers and used it on Parabatai bonds that had one nearing death. But there were so many that still died, so we decided that we would keep it a secret and learned that saving at least one is better than having two dead."_

"Then why did you decide to use it on us?" He asked

Brother Enoch paused for a moment. "_Because I have not seen such a bond as close as you and Mr. Herondale. So I thought, for some reason, It might work."_

Jem nodded towards the silent brother as he held onto Will's hand and grasped tightly. Any minute now he would open his eyes and Jem's world would rise from the ashes and start to rebuild.

**Well, i hope i didn't make this chapter **_**too **_**corny. I just copied the same, overdone writing cliché that some people use: bringing the protagonist (or a beloved character) back to life. But I felt I had to, without Will, a whole part of the plot loses a lot and the interest in the story drops. I could go on and on about this, but I'm afraid that it'll be longer than the actual chapter itself :P I wasn't exactly sure if Tessa would commit suicide, so forgive me of this story was ooc. I know that this story was over dramatic (all of my emotions were set free) and yes I know that you all want to kill me for nearly giving you a heart attack about Will. Sorry about that. I'll see you guys in the next chapter! :)**


	28. The Last Stand pt 1

**Dear me, it's only a few days left until Clockwork Princess and I really need to wrap everything up without rushing. :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES.**

"_Oh darling understand, that everything, everything ends." – Death Cab for Cutie. _

The faint smell of stale air caught his nose as he managed to open his heavy eyelids. Everything felt heavy and slow, and, _oh, _did he ache. His mind was blank as a slate and his arms and legs were numb. He closed his eyes again to try to recollect the most recent memory. It came very faint to him, and he could remember bits and pieces of cold water, something warm and wet seeping under his clothes and familiar girl that brought a familiar tug in his aching heart. He blinked as he surveyed the room. He recognized it as the infirmary. He turned his head slightly to see a tall man with silver hair facing away from him, staring at a pitcher of water. His heart warmed a little to see his Parabatai. He tried to say hello, but it instead came out as a muffled groan.

Jem spun around enough to make Will dizzy. His eyes widened and they were full. A huge smile crept up on him as he grabbed his hand.

"Thank the Angel you're awake!" He exclaimed as he took a seat next to him.

Will cleared his throat and puckered his lips in order to speak. He was still half asleep. "How long was I out?"

"For five hours." He replied. "How are you feeling?"

He managed to sit up and lift his heavy eyelids. "Like someone hit me with a brick and sent Ravener poison running through my veins."

Jem went over, poured him a glass of water and offered it to him. Will took it gingerly as he took a cautious sip as if it was hot tar. He found himself gulping down the water as Jem went to get him more.

"Fill me in on the details." Will said. "I'm vague on everything."

"While you were fighting Juliette, she pushed you off. Tessa, Henry and I pulled you out of the river and brought you to the institute." Jem paused for a moment. _I'm not going to tell him that he almost died. He had enough excitement today . Beside, he's going to stress out even further. "_Juliette stabbed you in the stomach, but we took care of that."

"Speaking of Juliette, where is she?" Will asked, now on his sixth glass.

"Tessa killed her off. I think she stabbed her in the back, and cracked Juliette's head on the pavement. Well, that what I heard."

Will nearly choked on his water. He set it down on the nightstand as a rush of memories came over him. He remembered Juliette pinning him to the bridge and pushing him over. He remembered plunging into the river as ice water assaulted him, pulling him under. He remembered slipping away into memories of that familiar girl, the one he was trying to protect from Juliette. He spat out the water. A wave of anxiety started to drown his energy.

"Where is Tessa? Is she alright?" He said worryingly

"Calm down, she's sleeping in her room." Jem soothingly told him.

"Is she hurt?"

"We fixed her up, she's fine Will."

He didn't relax one bit. "I want to see her." He declared, getting out of the bed and stood on his feet. He stumbled as Jem quickly caught him by his arm.

"Will, you need to rest-"

"I'm fine Jem." He saw a stele lying on the nightstand as he drew a strength rune on his arm. "See? Now let me through."

He opened the door and darted his way through the hallways to Tessa's door. He swiftly opened the door with a slight push, not to disturb her if she was sleeping. His eyes rested on a horrific sight. Her room was torn to bits. The mirror was shattered and its pieces were on the wooden floor. A jug was smashed, water was everywhere, and books were scattered all over the floor. His heart skipped a beat as he turned to Jem, who was equally surprised and shocked.

"Jem." Will gritted his teeth. "Where-is-Tessa?"

Will caught a glimpse of Pearl jogging towards them. She looked at the room and closed it, facing the two boys who had panic written on their faces.

"I thought I closed the door." Pearl said simply. "Tessa got into a breakdown after she found out that-"

Jem shushed her as she widened her eyes in realization and bit her lip. Will looked at them in confusion and demanded to know what was going on.

"Tessa got into a breakdown? Why? What did she find out? Where is she? Is that why her room is in a mess? Tell me." He commanded. They both stood quiet as Will impatiently shook Pearl. "Pearl, please I need to know."

She looked at Jem, and then to Will's pleading eyes. She silently pleading Jem to tell him and he eventually gave in. "When we heaved you out of the river, you were truly dead. We got you into the infirmary. Tessa followed behind us and I watched her go upstairs-crying. We managed to bring you back to life-"

"But Tessa's alright, Will. You needn't to worry." Juliette said in a soft voice. She gently grabbed Will's hand as she led her to the door on their left. She opened it and gestured to the ruffle of blankets on the bed. "See? She's sound asleep, and will be awake in a hour or-"

Will went over and threw the blanket off. His pupils grew small as he turned to Pearl. "She's not here Pearl. Where is she?" Jem and Pearl were both silent, gazing at the empty bed. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again. "S-she was here a moment ago, I could have sworn…"

"_It couldn't be" _Jem whispered faintly to himself.

"What did you say Jem?" Will asked. Jem turned to his Parabatai, his face gone white as sheet.

"We didn't tell Tessa that you were alive. You don't think that, she escaped and handed herself over to Mortmain, could she? Thinking that you were still dead."

Will turned even whiter than Jem. His clenched his fist and prayed to Angel Raziel that it couldn't have happened. He thought of Tessa's wrecked room and imagined as if he was there, watching her destroy her things. Was she really that upset? Did she really think of herself as a nuisance and hand over herself to Mortmain? He thought back to the day when he almost thought Tessa had died and how empty and soulless he felt. Will refused to think that she was dead and reminded himself that Tessa was strong enough to take care of herself.

"Nevertheless." Will stated as he paced back to the infirmary, grabbing his weapons belt and put his armor back on. Jem and Pearl followed him "We need to find her, no matter what."

.o0o.

She felt cool air assault her skin as the sack was pulled off her head. The first thing that came to mind was how dark the room was. She couldn't rub her eyes to clear her vision because they were tied behind her back. She blinked and took a look at her surroundings. She was in a foyer, with the windows bordered up and cobwebs knitting together at every corner. A thick layer of dust settled on the floor as Tessa inched away when she could have sworn she saw a huge rat scamper by. A couch, covered in white sheet was placed ghostly near the staircase. The spiral staircase looked like it was about to collapse and fall.

A figure moved. Tessa glanced at a doorway of some sort with a dark figure leaning against the frame. It came forward until a speck of light shined on its face to reveal Mortmain. His face was grim and he seemed angry. He was holding something in his gloved hand as he grew closer to her. At instinct, Tessa drew away. Then she had to remind herself that he didn't drag her here to kill her, only to use her for her powers.

"I'm sorry for the poor accommodations. It's not comfy at all in here isn't it?" He sighed "But we will have to make do with it until the time comes."

She raised an eyebrow. "Until the time comes? Are we going somewhere?"

He sighed again. Mortmain pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Yes. We will be far from the country. Away from all of this madness, we're going on a long vacation."

"And I deduct that you will not tell me where this 'vacation' is at?"

"Quite correct."

She sucked in a shaky breathe. "You will stop your army as promised correct? It was a deal."

He waved his hand in dismissal as if the little deal meant nothing to him anymore."Yes, yes. All of your little friends will be safe and sound. Just as promised."

Mortmain opened his palm to reveal a small Jewel, half the size of a grape. It glistened in the small rays of light that seeped in the room. It was perhaps a amethyst since of the purplish hue it gave. Tessa peered at the jewel and looked warily and Mortmain. She knew she had to change. She sniffed; she hated changing and was still not accustomed to her powers. When she changed she felt a jolt of pain and nausea bubbling in the pit of her stomach. She wondered who the jewel belonged and why it wasn't a glove, a hair ribbon or a complete necklace or bracelet.

"If you want me to change, you would have to untie me first." She said quietly. Mortmain tugged on the rope until it fell to the floor. Tessa brought her hands up to her and flexed them. Harsh marks were left by the rope and started to grow even redder on her wrists. Mortmain handed her the jewel as Tessa fiddled it with her hand. "May I ask who I'll be changing into?"

Mortmain's mouth twitched with uncertainty. It took a while for him to answer. "Your mother." He replied."I want you to change into her now."

Tessa sucked into her breath and gazed at the jewel. She would transform into her mother, someone she hardly knew nor remembered. She suddenly felt scarred rather than excited. Since Juliette told her everything before her death, she wondered if her mother was as kind and courageous as her sister told the story. Mortmain waited impatiently as he nodded at Tessa to begin. She took a deep breath, clenched the jewel, and closed her eyes.

.o0o.

"By the Angel, where could she be?!" Will said in a panicked voice. They were running up and down the streets of London, fighting off every automaton they came across. Pearl and Jem were joining in their search. No one knew that Tessa was gone, and it was only them who knew. All of them were equally worried especially Will who seemed to be having a heart attack. Pearl on the other hand felt heavy guilt on her back. She felt responsible for the disappearance of Tessa, all she wanted to do is find her, alive.

Will paced faster. His attention was on every single being on the street and praying to Angel Raziel that she was alright. He found himself muttering _please _again and again. All he could think about was Tessa. Her face, her calming, defensive voice, and even the faint, fragrant smell of lavender on her. He tried to erase her damaged room and what she was doing in there. Was she alright? Was she hurt? Where could she be? His heart panged and a glisten of tears started to form in his eyes. Will shook his head and refused to cry. He tried to convince himself that she was alright and that Mortmain didn't try to hurt her. But, if he even managed to get a single scratch on her, _oh ho ho. _Will would give him a piece of his mind.

"Slow down Will." Jem called out.

"Slowing down doesn't help us find Tessa." He snapped back. Will shut his mouth. _Stupid, don't let your frustration out by snapping at Jem or Pearl._

Pearl sighed as she glanced at the next alley way. She beckoned the boys to walk with her to another set of streets. This time, it was particularly empty, neither a single shadowhunter nor automaton. They stood at the middle of the street as they surveyed buildings, tiny shops and small corners that were disguised by the darkness. It was growing late and the sun already began to set. Oranges, pinks and purples started to blend together and their shadows grew longer. Pearl stepped forward and caught a glimpse of a dark figure standing near a carriage. She unlatched the telescope from her thigh sheath and looked through the glass to get a better look at the figure hiding among the shadows. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized Sergei.

"Boys." She whispered, pointing at the Sergei. "It's one of Mortmain's henchman."

"Sergei." Jem whispered. He turned to Will. "Maybe we can get some information out of him about the whereabouts of Tessa."

Will withdrew his knife. "One step ahead you." They all moved stealthily like an alley cat, careful not to startle its prey. When they neared close enough, Jem pounced on Sergei and pinned him to the carriage. Sergei didn't look startled as Will pointed his knife at his face, only half a centimeter apart.

"Tell us where Miss. Theresa Gray is or I'll swear that I'll gauge your eyes out with my knife." Will threatened.

Sergei's mouth didn't budge open as his blank eyes stared at the ground. Will bared his teeth. The carriage shook as Jem pushed him further. "Tell-me-where-she is!"

Suddenly, Sergei slipped out of Jem's grip and attacked Will with a throwing punch. Will dodged it as he kicked it him down to the floor, his foot on his chest making a _bang _sound. Will thought it was odd that it made and sound. He kicked him again and he definelty heard a sound similar to pots and pans when hit together. He motioned Jem to hold onto Sergei legs as Pearl held his head with a tightening grip.

"He's an automaton." He concluded. "but how come this one doesn't talk?"

"Perhaps Mortmain forgot." Pearl replied. "How are we going to find Tessa still? Killing him doesn't benefit any of us."

All of them paused for a moment as all of them thought up some kind of solution. Will thought back to when Henry was taking apart Miranda from the Dark house, and the mechanical heart device implanted in his sister. And then he thought of the impossible, if Mortmain used Cecily through a device installed into her , used to control her, there must be a tracking device hidden somewhere that would lead them to Mortmain. Perhaps there was a tracking device of Sergei since he was an important assistant to Mortmain.

He looked at Pearl. "Break his head to disable the functions. We might find a tracker in him."

Pearl jerked his head violently with a sickening _crack. _The head itself loosened from the neck as several wires came undone. She began to check the head to see if there was a tracking device installed in there. While he watched her, he wondered if there was a 'cleaner' way to disassemble an automaton without severing anything. Will put his fingers on Sergei's buttons and popped them loose. He shoved the shirt aside and saw that he didn't even have a chest, it was a hard metal plate put together by thick screws. Will gave a victorious smile as used the tip of his blade to undo the screws. Together, Jem and Will heaved the metal plate off to reveal several clockwork gears, pipes and wires in one big mess. Jem started going through the gears and wires as Will loomed over to the device that was supposed to be the 'heart'. It was made out of gears and pipes with tiny wires going in and out. He squinted, there was something written on a gear that wasn't moving. He widened his eyes as he took out the gears carefully.

'It's a tracking rune." He said, Jem and Pearl stopped and looked at the small thing.

"We can still use it." Jem replied.

Tracking runes would gleam brightly if you were near the person whom you were looking for. A spark of hope ignited inside all of them as they left Sergei, disassembled on the ground and started to follow the tracking rune on the gear.

"This way." Jem guided as they were led through street by street…

.o0o.

_Whoosh_

Tessa closed her eyes and let the transformation take over her mind and her body. She felt as light as a feather as the nausea and pain kicked in. She felt cold tingles around her legs and her arms as they grew leaner and paler. The weight of her hair loosened as it came above the shoulders. Her face tingled for a while in change. Tessa felt distinctly naked for a couple of moments, now changing into something soft and cottony. Her own thoughts were violently pushed aside as she entered into a new selection of thoughts. She felt the power of the transformation finish and fade. Tessa opened her eyes as she started to get comfortable with the body she was temporarily in,

Mortmain smiled at her in an unwelcomingly way. "Miss. Elizabeth Gray I presume?"

"Correct. Is it Mr. Axel Mortmain, son of Mr. Shade i stand before of?" Her mother replied. Her voice was very close to Tessa's, only much more matured.

"Yes. But let us not get more acquainted with each other. I need some information out of you at this moment-"

"I think we are quite acquainted with each other." She interrupted. "I once worked for you, and then you murdered me." Tessa felt a chill down her spine, the word murder used her seemed to harsh for her to digest.

"Because you disobeyed me." Axel urged. "I did not plan to kill you. Now, to get down to business. Where is my creation that you stole from me?"

"But firstly, don't you want Theresa to transform into your wife to know where the object is?"

Mortmain shook his head. "There are two things I want Elizabeth. My shape shifter automaton that I am so proud of and the object. I have all the time in the world thanks to _Theresa. _

Tessa automatically opened her mouth to say something, only to have her mother close it for her. Suddenly, a sharp pain entered her mind as she groaned and tried to grab something to steady herself. Her mother's memories came in one big flash before her eyes, and they were all frightening. She felt pain, sadness and anger and panic stir inside her as she was forced to watch recollections of two young girls, one with red hair and one with brown hair scamper away in fright. Remains of a young girl's body parts strewn on the floors and the tables mixed with rusted and bloody gears. The face of young Tessa looking confused and upset as Elizabeth backed away only to have been stabbed by Mortmain. The thoughts actually caused pain to run in veins. Mortmain shook her in hopes to make her alright. She screamed as she was stripped away from the real world and into another dimension. Tessa heard her mother's soft voice call to her. _I'm sorry I had to do this. I have to make you know and understand._

Tessa knew that she was in another place, away from Mortmain because when she opened her eyes, everything was black. She wondered if she blind or if she had a bag over her head again. She warily stood up and gazed down as herself. She was back to her own self, her armor, her long curly hair and her normal height. She immediately wrapped her arms around her from the cold. Tessa realized that she was glowing rather ghostly. She looked up and widened her eyes at the sight of her mother before her, at least, she could've looked like her mother, she wasn't sure. She had the same facial features and the same gray eyes. Her hair was cut slightly above her shoulders and poofed in curls. She was slender and had an average height. She was wearing a simple, white cotton dress. The lady scrunched her face as Tessa could see that she was about to cry. She managed to wipe a tear away and put on a brave smile.

"I watched you grow up into a fine young lady." She sniffed. "I was always watching you, even if you didn't know anything about me."

Tessa trembled. "Mother?" The lady nodded as Tessa felt a tear escape down her cheek.

"Lord, how I've missed you." She replied, her throat thick as if she was about to bawl out in tears. Tessa couldn't say she missed her too, she knew nothing about her and hardly had any trace of memory of her.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking at the black void all around her.

"In another world, a place where you and I could talk for a bit." Elizabeth said.

"Oh." Tessa said. "Is it alright if I ask you some questions?"

"Certainly."

Tessa breathed out a sigh of relief, right now she would be given answers to the remaining unsolved questions she had in her mind for so long. She tried to rummage through the most important among her dozens of questions.

"Tell me who my family is." She started.

Her mother gave a grim smile. "You have a father that passed away years ago due to a fatal stab wound. You have a twin sister named Annie and another sister named Juliette. You and your sisters got along very well.

So Juliette wasn't bluffing when I had sisters. Tessa thought. "Do you know what my father was? I know that you know Nephilim. And who are you?"

Her mother paused for a moment "I am a warlock." She responded, looking at Tessa's face to see if she was following. "Your father was a shadowhunter."

"Does that make me a warlock or a shadowhunter?" Tessa asked

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not exactly. You see, when your father was young he was attacked by an eidolon demon, a shape shifter. The demon bit him and sent a non lethal poison running through his veins. When we had you, you were born with the substance running through your bloodstream. You have the eternal life of a warlock and the power of eidolon demon. That makes you a special breed of warlock. You are a down worlder. The reason why you are not a shadowhunter is because it was affected by the poisoning. "

She cocked her head. "But warlocks can't have children." She stated.

"Yes, I believed it to. But I guess that the eidolon demon's poison effects are really strong. It makes warlocks fertile."

Tessa nodded in understanding. "If I am a 'special breed' of warlock, how come I don't have a warlock's mark?"

"Your father and I still haven't worked that out. We think it's because there hasn't been one like you before, and that makes you an 'undecided' down worlder if you follow."

"Is it correct that my twin sister was a 'special breed warlock?' Elizabeth nodded in response.

"How come when you had Juliette, she wasn't like us?"

"We adopted her." She said. "When she was a baby, her parents, our closest friends, died in a fire and decided to take her in."

"Juliette told me everything." Tessa stated. "but she didn't tell me what you and Mortmain were studying about"

"Oh." Tessa's mother faltered. " What we were studying about was an peculiar object that I found in Idris. I found it lying on the grass. I found out that it was crafted by Angel Raziel himself, and it may be one of the mortal instruments. I brought it back to London and had Mortmain study the object with me before handing it in to the Silent brothers. One day Mortmain was sick, and I had to study by myself. While I was tinkering with the peculiar object, a sudden bright light burst out from the small pendant and before me was an angel. The angel told me its name was Melilah, a servant to Angel Raziel and was the angel of guidance and healing. She told me her whole story on how she came down to earth to perform a task for Raziel, was almost killed by an evil shadowhunter and was rescued by one of my descendants. In thanks for saving her life, Melilah offered to give eternal guidance and healing to all of my descendants, and I was next in line. She told me that to create a bond with her, I needed to mix my blood with hers by cutting myself with the pendant. I told her that I would do it tomorrow since it was growing late. She told me that in order to tell her my decision, I would have to say some magic words

"Days past and i had somehow forgotten about Melilah. One day, Mortmain's wife got into a carriage accident while bringing home the object. Mortmain tried to look everywhere for the object and he grew more frustrated and more violent. We gave up looking for it and Mortmain tried a different approach, using shape shifters to transform into his wife to tell him where the object was. He knew about your sister, Annie who was a shape shifter. He didn't know you existed at the time, and asked for her. I refused and told him that she was much too young to control her powers. He was angry that I disobeyed him.

"The next day, I went to work as usual but this time I went early because I couldn't sleep last night. I passed by the carriage accident scene and happened to find the pendant sticking out of the mud. I thought how pleased Mortmain would be when I gave it to him. And then, when I got to the manor. I found the remains, of my little Annie, strewn all over the floor, mixed with blood and gears. Then I saw an automaton, which had the face of my darling Annie. In rage, I destroyed the machine. And then I realized Mortmain would come any minute to see what I have done to his creation. I quickly gathered up the parts in a bag and dumped it in the river Thames. I knew that I wasn't safe with this mad man and decided to run away with my remaining daughters. I put away the pendant in my pocket, went back to the house, had everything we need packed away, brought you and Juliette to the early morning carriage and set off.

"Somehow, Mortmain knew about my escape and probably thought that I had his creation with him. He caught up to us, saw you, thinking it was Annie and cursed at me. I ordered the driver to drive faster to Aunt Harriet's house to hide you and Juliette. Luckily we outran Mortmain and arrived. I told Aunt Harriet everything as quickly as I could and gave her the pendant to protect. I hid you and Juliette in the hidden, small attic with Aunt Harriet to protect you. I ran out of time to hide, and lock the attic. Juliette, the little fighter girl she was wanted to protect me, and came out just in time when Mortmain came. Juliette watched Mortmain murder his own mother while he searched everywhere for 'Annie'."

"Then Mortmain couldn't find me, and kidnapped Juliette to see if he could make any use out of her." Tessa finished. "But he couldn't when he found out that she wasn't a shape shifter."

Elizabeth nodded sadly. "The thing is, the pendant is your clockwork angel."

Tessa was taken aback. "My clockwork angel? But that doesn't make sense. Whenever Mortmain encounters me, he doesn't attempt to snatch it off me, he doesn't even notice it."

"When I was in the carriage running away from Mortmain. I remembered the angel and summoned Melilah to tell her to disguise herself as something else so that she also wouldn't be in danger of Mortmain. She transferred to my own necklace, which is your clockwork angel."

"But how come you didn't create a bond with Melilah so you would be safe from Mortmain?"

"I felt guilty receiving the offer when I knew that my children needed it the most. Fortunately, you encountered the necklace that Aunt Harriet stowed away in her jewelry box."

Tessa remembered finding the necklace with Nate and accidently cutting herself with it In the process. Tessa already had the bond between her and Melilah.

"Wait, is Mortmain still looking for 'Annie?' He already knows me and my abilities."

"No, Mortmain is not looking for Annie anymore, he gave up on that a year ago, and then he found you. But he wants his automaton back, he is so proud of it."

"How come Mortmain knows about Nephilim? He's a mundane."

"Nobody knows. I like to think that his parents introduced him to Nephilim."

"One more thing." Tessa said. "Why was this object so important to him in the first place?"

"Because he said he believed it had the power of a Mortal Instrument and that he would be famous for his research. And then I found out after that he lied to me, and was going to use the power to kill Nephilim."

"I see." Tessa said. "I think that's all I needed to know." Her mother smiled as she stepped forward and embraced her with welcoming arms. Tessa hugged back as she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

"I know that it will take a while for you to swallow." Elizabeth said softly. "I want you to know that I love you, and I always will. I will always be with you no matter what. Your father loves you, and a part of Juliette and Nate loves you also." Tessa nodded as her mother reluctantly withdrew her arms.

"I can help you right now." Her mother added. "I know Mortmain's weak spot, I can kill him for you so you don't have to do it. Let me take over your body for just a while ok?"

"Alright." Tessa said in a daze as her eyelids heavied and she fell into a deep sleep. Letting the image of her beloved mother go.

**I hope this chapter wasn't confusing. And I hope that I explained everything and there are no plot holes. :/ **


	29. The Last Stand pt 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

"_Alright." Tessa said in a daze as her eyelids heavied and she fell into a deep sleep. Letting the image of her beloved mother go._

Tessa was snapped back into reality as her body remained in Elizabeth's control. She blinked her eyes open to see a confused and angered Mortmain before her. He didn't bother helping her up. A scowl remained on his face as he tapped his foot impatiently.

"What happened? Are you trying to fool me in some way?" He demanded. Elizabeth said nothing as he sighed and wiped his forehead that held tiny beads of sweat. He cleared his throat. "As I was saying earlier, where is my automaton, where is my Annie?"

"_Your Annie?" _Elizabeth said coldly. "She was never yours. You stole her from me!"

"I had to!" He argued. "You knew what my intentions were! I didn't mean to kill her."

"She was so young!" She fired back, taking a step closer to him. "I don't care how badly you needed the object. You destroyed my family when you knew that I had no support from anybody since my husband died." Tessa could feel her mother's rage pounding in her heart as her fingers and teeth clenched together. "My poor Annie is dead, you murdered me and made me leave my darling Tessa to fend for herself without a mother, and you are responsible for Juliette and what she turned into!"

"I did not do anything to Juliette. And I did not turn her into anything, I just showed her reason." He yelled.

"Is that true?" Elizabeth said. "If you didn't kidnap her, or turned her into a hatred, and vengeful person, she wouldn't be dead-"

Mortmain's eyes widened in disbelief. "_Juliette's dead?"_

She nodded. "See what you have done to my family? I will kill you with my own hands, _everything that you caused to everyone." _Elizabeth sneered. Mortmain took another step back.

"Y-you can't kill me." He laughed uncertainly. "Violence is not in your nature. You are just a small, weak woman that can't do anything-"

Elizabeth pounced forward like a savage tiger and made the first attack on Mortmain.

.o0o.

"_This is it?" _Will asked, looking at the building. He gazed at the blackened bricks of the walls, bordered up windows and a crooked door. The building was quite far from the institute, so it took them a while to find it. It was on the outskirts of towns where odd shops were placed selling herbs and weird spices. It was a fairly spooky place; it was dark inside the building, letting only small rays of light in. It was nearing the end of the day and the sun began to disappear over the horizon.

Jem looked at his gleaming tracking device, it was growing a bright red as it pulsed in its hand. "Yes. The rune says so."

"Then let's get in." Pearl urged. "But we can't enter through the main door, literally, it looks like it's about to fall and crumble into dust."

"Hmm." Will thought as he neared one of the bordered up windows, opaque with dust. "We can't enter through the window, it will cause too much of a noise. There must be another way in." Suddenly, a flock of gray birds emerged into the sky, frightened. A loud crash erupted as it shook Pearl, Jem and Will. They looked at each other in panic.

"We have to find a way in fast." Jem said quickly, walking around the back of the building. "Perhaps there's a cellar door somewhere?" The others followed him to the back where the grass was over grown and reached up to their knees. Wildflowers and weeds sprouted from the ground as they wound themselves through their legs. It was hard to walk through since they were stepping on sinking mud. Pearl trudged forward as she brushed a bunch of grasses out of the way to reveal a rusted cellar door. A lock was put in its place.

They smiled at each other in victory as Jem drew an opening lock on the door. The cellar entrance flew open as they were welcomed by dust being flown in their face and a rotten stench of something horrible. It was quiet and dark. Will took out his witch light and proceeded first. They came into the room, which was full of crates and boxes which were stuck together with thick cobwebs. Rats scampered out of the light as they came across another door, this time bolted with rust. Will heaved it open to reveal a staircase leading up. They approached the ground floor.

It was the foyer, with a spiraling staircase that looked like it could collapse at any moment, dusty floors and a chandelier that hung dangerously over their heads. Near the pair of main doors stood five statues, their eyes closed, their hands folded on their lap, not posing. It seemed a bit odd that a building this mediocre had the budget for well sculpted statues. Will tore his eyes from them as they proceeded forward. As Jem followed them, he heard a cracking noise below him. He looked down to see that he stepped on a shard of glass. Then suddenly, they heard a loud buzzing noise in the room. They stared at each other in confusion as Will drew his attention to the statues.

One by one their eyes opened, holding pairs of blood red eyes. They stepped away from the wall robotically as they looked at the three with blank expressions. _Automatons. _Will thought. The five automatons closed them in a surrounding circle as the three of them went back to back. Some of the automatons traded their arms and hands for chainsaws or sharp looking blades. The three withdrew their weapons and started to fight.

The three of them wielded their weapons and thanks to their experience of slaying automatons, the five of the statues were in ruins. They heard another crash upstairs, as they continued on with their search. Will looked up at the staircase and wondered how they could get upstairs without the stairs giving way?

Jem looked to his right and saw a window poorly bordered up. He caught a glimpse of a grand oak tree stretching above. "Perhaps we can climb up the tree and into the next floor? Let's pray that there's a window."

They took the chance and crawled out the window easily. They looked at the tall tree and saw a huge window that thankfully wasn't bordered up and was half open. They quickly climbed the tree without any difficulty and positioned themselves on a thick branch that was parallel to the window. They jumped as they landed on the dense, dry hardwood floor. They were in another room that was locked. Without saying anything, they opened the door using the special rune and used the tracking device to find Mortmain. The little device pulsed warmly in Jem's hand as it grew redder.

"We're getting closer." Pearl breathed.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was a shocking well trained fighter for a warlock. Tessa could feel the grace of her movements and her determination to kill Mortmain. Her mother grabbed something out of her boot and flung it at Mortmain. It was a small throwing knife. Tessa noticed a sheath tied around her ankle holding at least a dozen of them. The throwing knife missed Mortmain's head by an inch as it stuck on the wall behind him.

While Elizabeth was fighting, Tessa heard footsteps getting closer. Her heart raced, _Is it Sergei? _She wondered. _If it is, would all of this be over? Would I really be Mortmain's forever? _She remembered why she was here in the first place, handing herself over to Mortmain. But right now, her mother was here and knew how to kill him. Tessa couldn't let something so valuable slip by. To their surprise, Mortmain produced a pocket knife out of his coat and started to fight back. He wasn't much of a fighter, but he did the best he could to protect himself. Tessa knew that he wouldn't kill her, he still needed her.

His face was all scrunched up with rage. "_Do you know how much I had to put up with Nephilim?" _he hissed. "_They killed my parents! I had to live a lonely life because of them! And a selfish downworlder takes away my property!"_

Elizabeth didn't say anything as she continued to throw her kicks, punches and knives at him. Tessa found herself muttering words, well, it was Elizabeth muttering words. As if she was rehearsing lines again and again. The footsteps were getting closer as Tessa began to panic. Elizabeth didn't see to hear anything as she kept fighting Mortmain. Suddenly, Mortmain pounced on Elizabeth unexpectedly. Now holding a syringe, Tessa recognized the fluid as sleep medicine. He was going to knock out her and her mother. Elizabeth tried desperately to knock the syringe out of his hand.

Mortmain began defending himself, actually swinging the pocket knife around like a real fighter would. Tessa and Elizabeth were both equally confused. Where did all of this come from? Mundanes can't learn to fight like this? Why couldn't he use his skills to defeat Elizabeth when she made the first attack? He saw the confused in her eyes and grinned.

"Surprised?" He said slyly. "Perhaps, dear Tessa, if you can hear me. You can recall back to when I used Miss. Herondale for my own benefit. I implanted a device in her so that she would be stronger, and that I could control her. Well, I implanted something like that inside of me. Only that I have made a few adjustments. I just cranked the strength and stamina part three notches up."

She clenched her teeth as she kept throwing knives at him. One managed to cling itself to Mortmain's shirt, pinning him to the wall. Before she could get any closer, he easily plucked it out and jumped on her. He had one hand on her neck, choking her as he raised the syringe above her. He gave a wide, evil smile as both Tessa and Elizabeth were shaking in fear.

"This just wasn't your day." He sighed. "I'll gladly end it for you." He plunged the syringe in her arm and pressed the top. He stepped away from her, Instead of feeling sleepy, Tessa felt pain surge up everywhere inside of her. She gasped as she clutched the ground, wide eyed at Mortmain. Tessa's thoughts and her mother thoughts began mixing together in her head at the same time, giving her an extreme headache. It was almost like if you were a robot and you drank water.

Both Tessa and Elizabeth looked at Mortmain in rage, in pleasure of watching the two slip of away. The rage fueled up Tessa as she refused to let this man win. She once thought of all of the evil things he has done to the ones that she loved. Tessa heard her mother's soothing voice, encouraging her to stand up and not let the medicine drown her into sleep. Tessa took control of Elizabeth's body and lifted herself up and let her mother do the rest. She pulled out five of her throwing knives and threw them at lightning speed at him. Mortmain, to his surprise, was pinned onto the wall and couldn't pluck them out. She walked sluggishly at Mortmain and held out her hand, placing it on his heart. Mortmain looked at her with confusion and fear. Suddenly, the door burst open. Tessa could hear three familiar voices in the air, but the pain and drowsiness was too much for her to name the three people in the room.

"W-what are you doing?" Mortmain stammered, shaking. "Y-you wouldn't k-kill me. _You can't kill m-m-me-" _Ignoring Mortmain, Elizabeth closed her eyes and spoke the spell. He watched her with confusion and fear.

_Essugent malum sub, quid contempnit natura et quos subsannat eam, shockwaves I vocare ex lingua tua, exeunt et vincere me haec pugna!_

Blue, sparkling, electricity shot from her palm and into Mortmain. The force of the shockwaves blew hot air into the room as suddenly her hair stood up. Beneath her palm, he was shaking violently. He was screeching in fear as the electricity pulsed in her palm like a rapid heartbeat. The shockwaves spread itself from the palm as its branches branched out to all of the corners of the room. Elizabeth pushed Mortmain further into the wooden wall, which cracked upon impact as she pushed up and up. Then she withdrew her palm, with the electricity still touching him and surged up a huge amount of energy and burst it out of her palm. The electricity pushed Mortmain into a window as he crashed to his death.

Will, Jem, and Pearl looked at the woman standing in front of her in astonishment. Whoever she was, she did a mean job, and a very dramatic way of finishing Mortmain off. The lady stood silently at the window, looking down in cold eyes. Shards of glass were scattered everywhere, mixed with dust and broken planks of wood. The three of them stood and didn't say anything. The lady slowly turned around, and the three of them were a bit startled to see a similar face of Tessa. Suddenly, the lady buckled her knees as Jem quickly stepped forward and caught her before she fell. The lady started to twitch and flicker, with change. The lady and Tessa's face started to flicker back and forth, both of them unconscious.

"_Tessa?" _Will asked incredulously. He knelt down and touched her forehead with his fingertips, only to recoil back. Her touch was literally electric. A new form of panic started to take control of him. _Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she going to be alright? _Will and Jem both exchanged concerned looks as they gazed at the girl that they both loved in Jem's arms.

"I found a syringe." Pearl called out, scooping a dusty syringe buried under splinters of wood. "there's a tiny label on it." She squinted. "_papaver flos extract. _That translates from Latin to poppy flower extract. Poppy flower extract induces sleep." Pearl glanced at Tessa and at the half empty syringe. "I think she's been drugged with this."

Will picked her up carefully as Jem tried to help. "Let's get her back to the institute."

.o0o.

_She's been drugged with the sleep medication in her transformation. But she will be fine, the switching will stop eventually. _Brother Enoch informed to the group of people in the infirmary. Sophie, Jem, Pearl and Will breathed out a sigh of relief as the silent brother exited the room. Both of the boys held Tessa's hands in comfort that she was going to be alright and that any minute she would open her eyes.


	30. Response

**OMG. ONLY 3 MORE DAYS GUYZ. I AM SERIOUSLY FREAKING OUT.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES.**

She submerged from the unconscious and resurfaced to reality. But she couldn't open her eyes. She got her attention, her senses and her focus back. The darkness before her tried to comfort and calm her down, but the more she tried to flutter eyes open. Her taste was intact, her mouth tasted like a mixture of blood and grit. She could hear as well. She could hear mumbling in the room, and then a distinct voice struck heras familiar. She could tell that there was only person in the room, it was Jem. Her heart leaped as she tried to move a muscle to sit up, but her body would not respond to her. His hand warmed over hers, brushing his thumb against the palm of her hand. She could feel his gaze on hers. She wanted to wake up so badly that she gathered her strength to command her arms and legs to move. When she did, a thousand needles prickled against her skin. Her head buzzed with faint pain at first, and then gradually growing into a headache. She grunted in pain.

Jem tightened his grip on her hand. "Tessa? Can you hear me?"

Once she sat up, she could open her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and the first thing she saw came in a blur as it slowly sharpened. A silver blob turned into a concerned Jem.

"Jem" She mumbled, falling back onto her pillow. "I feel awful."

He laughed quietly and uncertainly. "Well, you have been through a lot. Here, I think you might need this." He offered her a glass with brimming liquid as he held her hold the glass. She peered at the glass and it was not water or any beverage she had ever seen before. It smelled like honey and burnt toast, it was smoking too. The taste in her mouth was too foul for her to refuse the drink. She gulped it down as she felt energy building up beside her.

She sighed as he put away the glass. Jem gave a soft smile. "Warlock concoction. I have no idea what is in it. You'll have to ask Magnus about that."

Tessa smiled back. The thousands of needles prickling her skin faded away. "I bet if he told me what was in it, the beverage will resurface up my throat."

Jem didn't say anything as he continued to rub her hand with his. Tessa closed her again, not to sleep, but to regenerate more energy. Then she remembered something. "Aren't you going to scold me for running away?"

He didn't say anything at first, but he did stop rubbing her hand. "I wouldn't say scold…I was going to ask once you felt better-"

"I feel better." Tessa interrupted. "Don't worry, I won't cry or anything. Fire away."

Another long pause filled the room. She could feel seconds tick by. Then, he finally cracked and started to ask. "Why did you run away?" He asked softly. "Was it because of Will's death? Or was it something else?"

She told him everything, but she left out the part of her deep sadness about Will. As she told her story, she felt as if it took place a long time ago, the faint memory of her damaged room was more opaque and harder to recall. Will's passing was still ripping her heart apart slowly, but she refused to cry in front of Jem. Then she told him about her past, and who she was. Tessa found herself believing it more than when her mother said it, when she spoke it out loud it felt unreal to her. She was entirely a new person. She remembered her clockwork angel and remembered the 'Angel' that was guarding it. Tessa also remembered what her mother said. '_The angel told me its name was Melilah, a servant to Angel Raziel and was the angel of guidance and healing._ _Melilah offered to give eternal guidance and healing to all of my descendants and I was next in line. She told me that to create a bond with her; I needed to mix my blood with hers by cutting myself with the pendant.' _She told Jem about it. He batted his eyes in disbelief.

Tessa remembered that she put her angel in the pocket of her weapons belt to keep it safe. She looked under the covers to find that she was wearing her nightgown. "Jem, can you hand me my weapons belt? My angel is in there."

He handed it to her as she pulled out her necklace. A new feeling came over her as she weighed it in her hand. For her entire life time she thought that this was just her mother's necklace, but now, it had an angel's soul in it. She fiddled with it carefully.

"It sort of reminds me of the Greek God Hermes' caduceus. The symbol of peace, protection and healing." Jem said, eyeing the necklace also.

Tessa flipped the pendant over and over in her hands. She thought of summoning Melilah to create the bond. Then she would just simply cut her finger to mix her blood with the angel's, she would never have to worry about being in danger. Then she remembered that she was a 'special breed' of warlock, and that she would live forever. She breathed out, when she thought of living forever, how lonely would that be! Truthfully, she didn't need the bond. Tessa looked at Jem, his steady eyes on her and on the pendant in her hands. A sudden spark of hope and doubt made her jump.

_Can it be possible to create a bond with someone else? _She thought. _Melilah is the angel of guidance and healing, perhaps she could…_she trailed off as she looked at her fiancée. _Perhaps she could cure Jem of his sickness? _A sudden urge made her want to try it out.

Jem saw Tessa's changed expression. "Tessa, what's wrong?"He asked

"The necklace, Melilah." She whispered. "The bond. Maybe I found the cure for your illness, Jem."

His eyes widened and a thin line formed on his lips. Jem didn't say anything for a while. She could hardly imagine what he could be thinking and feeling right now. She squeezed his hand in comfort. "I-" Jem started. He was interrupted by the door swinging open.

"Jem, Gideon and Charlotte asked if you would meet them in the foyer. I don't know what for, but it seems important." Will said. His blue eyes on Jem for a second, then realizing that Tessa was awake, staring at him in guffaw.

Both of them were locked into a stare-off. _Say something! _She screamed inside of her, but her emotions took control of that. Confusion started to form questions, _Aren't you supposed to be dead? _She gasped _How is this possible, I saw you die- _Her heart beat faster, her throat got thicker with tears and her vision blurred again. Tessa started to tremble as her pendant slid from her palm and into the sheets. Will stared at her, he was trembling as well. Both of them felt a huge weight being lifted off their backs, relief started to heal their worries. Tessa managed to find her voice.

"_I-I thought you were dead._" She whispered her voice cracking. "H-how?"

It took a while for Will to say anything. The blue in his eyes grew fuller as they glistened. "They brought me back to the institute and managed to bring me back to life somehow." Both of them were on the verge of crying.

"_Oh." _She whimpered. She covered her face with a small curtain of her tangled, mangy hair. Will took a step forward, took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. Tessa responded by burying her head in the crook of his neck as both of them shed tears. It was too overwhelming for the both of them. He rocked Tessa back and forth, trying to calm her (and himself) down. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before breaking apart. Tessa wiped the tears from her face and put on a brave smile.

Jem rose up from his seat. "Isn't this wonderful? We're all here together." He gave Tessa's hand one more squeeze before leaving. "I'll be right back; you take care of her Will." Then he closed the door behind them to give them some space.

Tessa and Will stared at each other in brief silence before averting their eyes awkwardly off each other. She patted the cushion of the chair that Jem sat on, inviting Will to sit. He hesitated for a moment before taking the offer. She smiled at him nervously as she tried to make herself somewhat comfortable in this stuffy and nerve wrecking environment. Sitting beside her was the man she thought was dead, and she was still shaking. He didn't seem to find anything to say either; he was making awkward glances at her and at the floor. Tessa was now cursing herself for inviting him in.

"How is everyone?" She managed to say.

"Fine, fine." Will said quietly. "No injury too serious."

"How is Pearl and your sister?"

"Pearl's eating in the dining room along with the others. Cecily is talking with her friends" He responded.

She scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. "How come you're not with them?"

He shrugged. "I'm not really hungry." He paused for a moment. "I should probably get you something to eat, or leave you to get some sleep."

Tessa, without thinking, shook her head immediately. Possibly the only way she could get out of the suffocating atmosphere. "No, I'm not sleepy nor hungry either."

She made the daring move to look up and try to have an eye to eye conversation with him. Tessa saw that there was something troubling in his face, she could tell. "If you just want to be courteous to stay with me, it's no need. You can go along with the others if you'd like. I could only imagine the stress you've been in."

"It's not that." He shook his head. "But there is something on my mind."

"What is it?" She asked softly, pulling her knees up to her chest, as if he was going to tell a bedtime story to her.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you let Mortmain take you?" He asked innocently, looking at her with pleading eyes. Tessa gulped down a lump in her throat when the blue in his eyes got full like that. She remembered the breakdown in her room, her suicide attempt, what she was feeling inside when she screamed at Pearl's face. She wondered if he knew about that.

"He was just killing so many shadowhunters. When I thought he killed you, I thought…" She sucked in her breath. _It's now or never. _"I thought that it was the last straw. I knew that I wasn't as smart or as cunning as a shadowhunter. I barely even knew the full extent of my powers. Giving up myself to him seemed the most logical idea at that point."

He looked at her with pity and disbelief. "Do you feel the same now?"

She thought about it for a moment. "A little. But now that everything is finished, I don't know what to feel anymore."

Will nodded in understanding. "…Jem and Pearl told me about what happened in your room, your breakdown. What was that all about?"

Tessa blushed tomato red. If she told him the truth, there would be an endless chain of awkward moments between them. "W-what I've done to all of those shadowhunters, that is what made me send myself to Mortmain."

"Oh." He said simply. "When Jem, Pearl and I were in the abandoned hotel, we saw you change to someone else. Who did you transform into?"

She smiled and looked down. The face of her mother warmed her heart a little."My mother."

He widened his eyes. "Really? I don't suppose you made any contact with her…"

Tessa willingly shook her head. "I did. She told me everything." She fingered her pendant in her hand, remembering that this was once her mother's; it almost felt like an heirloom. "She even told me who I was. She told me that I was a combination of a warlock and an eidolon demon." She filled him in with all of the questions pertaining to her kind and her past. She even told him about her dead twin sister.

When Tessa was finished, Will had a sort of look on his face, as if she slapped him for no apparent reason. "You have a twin sister." He stated openly. "Who could've guessed that was the misunderstanding of it all."

"Juliette was right. We are sisters." Tessa bit her lip, stared at the ceiling and closed her eyes. "A whole family gone before I even knew it. A whole different life for me if my mother didn't work for Mortmain. But, enough of me for a minute. How are you doing?"

"Fine. I put a strength rune on to keep me awake."

"How is it out there?" She asked.

"A bloody mess of broken machines and, well, corpses. That huge spider like machine collapsed into a building and left a huge heap of debris behind. I don't know how the mundanes will react to it." Before she could respond, a loud grumbling noise erupted from her stomach. Her belly growled again as Will tried not to smirk as Tessa sighed in defeat.

Will stood up and offered her a hand up, not looking at her. "Hungry now?"

She responded by getting out of the bed, putting on her boots, a robe to keep her warm while snatching a hair ribbon on her way out to make her hair less atrocious than it seemed. Tessa followed Will downstairs as she caught a sight of her friends Fionna and Cecily chatting like two best friends that were separated for a long time. When they saw Will and Tessa, they went to go greet him. Tessa noticed that Cecily had a iratze drawn onto the back of her neck. She caught Tessa looking and softly smiled as she touched it.

"When that Yanluo demon attacked me, it pinned me to the wall and I slammed my head. I got a concussion." She replied, Cecily looked at her brother. "But I'm alright now." She gave a reassuring nod to her brother.

"How are you doing Fionna?" Tessa asked.

"I'm fine. I just had a bit of potato and leek soup for supper. I suppose you came downstairs to have a bite to eat?" Tessa nodded in response.

"Well, I'll leave you to your own devices." Fionna nodded at both of them as she left the foyer, leaving Cecily, Tessa, and Will behind.

"Did you happen to eat Cecily?" Will asked as the three of them headed to the dining area. When they approached the room, it was full of shadowhunters who were busy filling their stomachs on whatever was edible on the table. Nobody seemed to notice them. They took a seat as Sophie poured some soup for Cecily and Will. Tessa smelled the warm and rich aroma of potato and leek soup, her mouth watered and realized how hungry she was. She reached over and took a warm dinner roll and spread butter on it, taking a small bite before picking up her spoon to scoop some of the soup up. Her insides tingled with warmth as a sigh escaped from her full mouth. Will watched both of them eat, eventually taking a roll to nibble on and a glass of water.

"How many dead shadowhunters are there?" Cecily asked between slurps of her soup. "I hope they aren't a lot vs. broken automatons."

"About 60 shadowhunters out of a hundred." He responded grimly as Cecily and Tessa stopped eating and looked at Will in disbelief. "There will be a funeral for all of the one who perished their lives for this war."

"And that is taking place when…?" Cecily asked.

"A week from now." He replied. "Enough time to settle everything and clean everything up before Magnus turns the humans back to normal."

Will and Cecily kept on talking as if Tessa wasn't there at all. She sank down on her seat. Cecily seemed to notice her presence a bit more, but with Will, he flat out ignored her. Tessa gave out an exasperated sigh."The list goes on and on. Charlotte will be stressing all over the place, I wouldn't be surprised if she was working through her baby's delivery." She muttered to herself.

Suddenly the dining room doors banged open and a voice called out. They turned around to see a grinning man barging into the room. The occupants in the room stopped their eating their meals and their conversations and looked at him curiously. He held up two bottles of wine and screamed. "Another victory for Nephilim!"

The crowd smiled and seemed to forget how tired they were. They whooped, shouted glorious praises and whistled. He popped the cork off of one of the wine bottles and took a long swig, then hooting to excite the people. The three of them smiled. Magnus didn't help fight automatons, but instead he helped with the first aid people being a warlock and all. His hair was thrown around, his clothing was a bit dirty and his voice sounded exasperated through that egoistic personality. Tessa merrily smiled and continued to eat the remaining half of her food. Cecily joined in and celebrated with the others. The dining room, once silent with a bit of muttered conversation, turned into a party.


	31. The Aftermath

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

The days went by slowly after the battle between shadowhunters and automatons. Events, such as the council meeting and the funeral took place seemed to suck out every single bit of energy out of everyone. The council meeting went smoothly, but very slowly. Charlotte and the Clave organized certain shadowhunters to help clean up the mess due to the automatons and the corpses of shadowhunters. Everyone in the institute helped retrieve the bodies of those who sacrificed their lives in the battle. They wrapped their bodies in white silk and placed them carefully into a coffin. Sixty shadowhunters were mourned at that funeral and were never to be forgotten. The cleanup was messy too, especially getting rid of the clockwork spider that Mortmain made. Once the cleared everything, Magnus set the humans back to normal. Mortmain's body on the other hand, was disrespectfully tossed into River Thames where the cold, coffee colored waves engulfed him.

Thanks to the special rune drawn on Charlotte's belly to delay the delivery, she didn't have to worry about her water breaking loose. But now, the rune was fading a bit by bit every day. Henry stayed up nonstop trying to run errands for his beloved wife to make sure that the baby and she were comfortable. He even had to sacrifice his time on his inventions to take care of her. Most of the time, others had to force him into meals and sleep so that he wouldn't faint. For Tessa's necklace however, she had it examined by Magnus before testing it on Jem.

Most of the shadowhunters had talked to Charlotte about returning to their institutes or former jobs. Charlotte couldn't just let them go un praised for their good work. She had to set aside some time to organize a ball to celebrate the new victory for the shadowhunters. Charlotte made sure that everyone got invited, and that the institute would be cleaned up and decorated in order to host a party. Sophie, Bridget, Charlotte and the others helped organize the party and to decorate it. Charlotte made sure that it would be the best party she ever hosted. She arranged an orchestra to play, more butlers and servants to tend for her guests, refreshments at the tables and artfully arranged flowers that brought color into every room.

On the day of the ball, Jessamine spoiled herself by going into every shop looking for the perfect dress. She told herself that it was her reward for helping to aid the injured shadowhunters, (before the battle took place, she begged for Charlotte not to send her into war, so she sent her to work in the infirmary). Of course, she dragged along every lady she had grown friends with, including Tessa and Cecily whom she had no mercy with them. Jessamine tried to spoil them with over the top priced dresses that looked like cakes instead of gowns. Most of the girls were buried from thick lacing, extra poofy skirts and overdone makeup.

After the shopping spree, Tessa headed upstairs to change into her ball gown for the night. She called Sophie to help her into the dress. Sophie pulled out a gorgeous, creamy gray dress from the box. It wasn't as poofy as the other ladies' dresses were, but it was fine for her, as long as she could breathe in it. A bit of her shoulders were exposed, and the elegantly laced, white sleeves were up to her elbows. The ruffles of the skirt gradually reached down the floor just the way that Tessa preferred her dresses to be. She chose not to wear any other necklace except her jade necklace. Tessa settled for tiny blue paste earrings instead of gaudy chandelier ones. She put on her boots, her gloves and she was all set for the party.

Tessa turned around to face Sophie. "Thank you so much for helping me dress." She said "But, Sophie. You must have a ball dress to put on for the party. You are invited too."

Sophie smiled. "That's alright miss, I am equally happy to serve our guests rather than to mingle."

"But what about Mr. Gideon Lightwood?" Tessa teased softly. "I bet that he would expect you to join the ball as well. Sophie, I have dresses that you could borrow…"

She shook her head, she was blushing too. "No, no. Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine."

Both of them smiled at each other, and gave each other a quick hug before leaving Tessa's room. She found Cecily emerging out of her room wearing a stunningly beautiful spring green gown that bolded her eyes. She saw Tessa and rushed over to her. "Tessa, you look beautiful! Sophie, you really did a number on her."

Sophie blushed again and left the ladies alone to tend to other things. The two of them headed downstairs to meet the others. Everyone was in a pretty gown or a ravishing tux. They were heading to the ballroom while half of the servants and butlers waited for other guest shadowhunters to arrive in carriages. It was nighttime already. Candles were brimming on chandeliers to create an elegant feel in the atmosphere. Tessa thought that Jem and Will were already in the ballroom. They proceeded into the grand room where they were greeted with wonderful music, a huge glass and gold chandelier that looked like diamonds and the mass number of people. They stuck together as they navigated through dancing couples and conversationalists. They found Jessamine and some other girls chatting away happily. They found Charlotte happily dancing in the arms of her darling husband Henry, but finding Jem and Will seemed impossible.

They found Jem talking to Isaiah. Jem turned around to see Tessa and Cecily wearing equally beautiful gowns. "Both of you two look wonderful tonight." He complimented.

Tessa was invited to dance with Jem for the first song while Isaiah took Cecily's hand. They swayed and spun around gracefully to the sound of the harpsichord and the string orchestra. Jem was smiling at her as Tessa was in return, happy in his arms while dancing. But, she noticed the absence of his Parabatai. "Where is Will?" She asked.

He shrugged as he looked around. "I have no idea. I've been looking for him for quite a while. Perhaps he's with Pearl?"

Tessa automatically clenched her teeth. _Pearl. Of course. _She shook off her sudden at her sudden attitude and remembered that she had to apologize to her after that incident in her bedroom.

The song ended as all of the couples bowed at each other and at the orchestra. Jem asked for another dance before asking Cecily. She spent most of the night in Jem's arms dancing to the sweet melody of the band. While she was dancing, she tried to look for Will. It was hard, including look a likes and people in the way. Not to mention that the music was snapping her out of focus. She wondered why she was looking for him in the first place. Did she want uncomfortable silence? No. So then why?

She didn't know, and she didn't care. There was just a sudden urge for her to look for him.

Once the second song was over, Jem left Tessa by the refreshment table to dance with Cecily. Isaiah went to look for Pearl. Tessa poured herself a little bit of punch and took a biscuit. She decided to leave them alone for just a little bit and stop looking for Will for a while, so she could mingle with other people to refresh her mind. Jessamine wasn't an option, all she would do was complain and talk about shopping. She couldn't talk with Charlotte either, she was busy with Henry. Perhaps she could find Fionna or Pippa, maybe Pearl. She found them near the staircase chatting away. They noticed Tessa and invited her into the conversation. They talked endlessly about different subjects.

After an hour or so, Tessa excused herself from the group to go to the washroom to clean herself up a bit. She navigated her way out of the ballroom and into the foyer. It was basically empty with only a few people lingering around. As she head down the hallway, she caught someone sighing and pacing back and forth. As she came closer, she realized it was Pearl. She had one hand running through her hair and one holding a folded up paper. Pearl noticed Tessa and gave her a weak smile.

"Hello Tessa, what are you doing out of the ballroom?" She asked kindly.

"The washroom." She responded, looking at the paper in her hands. "Is there something wrong Pearl?"

She looked at her stressfully, biting her lip. "I received a letter from my institute. It turns out they are calling me for a mission. So I need to go Edinburgh Institute to report back to them. It's a really long drive from here." She sighed.

"How long is it?" Tessa asked.

"It's all the way in Scotland. It will take weeks to get there." Pearl replied, looking at the letter again.

"That sounds dreadful." Tessa frowned. "Days upon days with uncomfortable traveling conditions."

Pearl nodded. "It is, I'll have to report this to Isaiah and Charlotte. I'll see you later Tessa." She began to walk away from her and into the ballroom.

"Wait!" Tessa called, but Pearl didn't seem to hear her. She had nearly forgotten that she needed to apologize for her behavior from that incident. She rushed forward and entered the ballroom. She searched everywhere for Pearl through the mass number of people. Tessa tried to squeeze her way out of the crowds, but she didn't try to call for her. There was even an occasion that she mistaken another lady for Pearl. She sighed in defeat as she leaned against the wall. Perhaps Pearl would come by so that she wouldn't have to look for her…

"…Miss. Branwell, I am so sorry for leaving on such short notice-"

Tessa whirled around to see Pearl and Charlotte talking in a secluded area away from the party. Surprisingly enough, Will was there, beside Pearl and talking to Charlotte. She leaned against the wall and tried to make out what they were saying, she felt bad for eavesdropping, but she couldn't help herself. Tessa knew what Pearl was talking about though, and it helped piece together the snippets of their conversation together.

"That's alright Miss. Pearl, I understand your situation. But, _Will. _You still have still one more year to spend at the institute." Charlotte said in a confused voice.

"It's just one more year. I think I'm trained enough to go out there on my own." He responded.

"But how are you going to explain everything to the others? You'll be leaving tomorrow morning!"

"I'll find a way Charlotte." Will replied calmingly.

Charlotte shook her head and turned to Pearl. "Can you explain your plan again? Just so that it's a bit more clear to me?"

"Will and I will be traveling to The Edinburgh Institute together. We will board the train, then take the carriage. When I settle things down, Will will be travelling to Wales to where his family supposedly is. It seems that his mother and his father escaped Mortmain and fled to their old home with a little bit money to their old home back in Wales. He will live in a small place just to check up on them. It is his choice if he wants me to accompany him."

"Then once I'm certain that my parents can manage by themselves, perhaps I'll be doing odd jobs for institutes." Will filled in. Charlotte looked at him in disbelief, there was a little bit of sadness in his voice.

"What about your Parabatai? You made an oath to Jem that you would protect him." She pointed out.

"I can't bring Jem along, I can't risk his health. Besides, he is in Tessa's good care. It's the same for my little sister. She needs to train more to be shadowhunter, and I can't risk her coming along either."

"Is this what you want Will?" Charlotte asked. "Are you absolutely positive with your plan?"

He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "It is."

Tessa shut her eyes and leaned her back against the wall. She could feel the sadness returning back to her since that day in her bedroom. Only this time, she was sure that it was permanent.

**Oooo, what is Tessa going to do? Is this really the end for Will and Tessa? (what I do with these two people in my story is unbelievable :P) Luckily, I only have one more chapter to do! (that is if I decide to squeeze a epilogue in) It's coming soon!**


	32. Good to you

**HOLY WROTHJHGFHWVCSCDMBJ ONE MORE DAY UNTIL CP2**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES**

"_And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to be me. And I'd be so good to you. I would" – Marianas Trench _

After telling Jem and the others about Will and Pearl's leaving, everyone was shocked and saddened. Jem seemed the most affected, asking all sorts of questions for Will to answer. It was hard to look one in the face and say a goodbye, especially someone who felt like family. Will was anxious and hesitant about leaving. The institute had been his home, his sanctuary, a part of him. He always wondered what it would be like when he had to leave the institute when he reached the age of eighteen, and now, even though he didn't reach that certain age, he knew. But now he had to fulfill another chapter in his life, one that seemed to silly, too foreign to begin with. He took a deep breath and looked at his surroundings again, he would miss the maze of hallways and doors, he would miss tracking his muddy footprints on the hardwood floor, and he would even miss the devil's tavern where he would greedily shove down booze to drown his sadness.

Will and Pearl woke up early the next morning to prepare themselves for the long journey. Back when he was packing, he couldn't help but reminisce about everything he was putting into his bags. All that was left in the room was an empty bookcase, an empty beaten up desk and a bare bed. Once he left the room, he felt hollow. It was like it was beckoning him to unpack and stay. When he went into the main foyer, everyone was there to say their goodbyes and watch them leave. Everyone was still in their night clothes though. Once he joined Pearl with her things packed up, everyone stared at them for the longest time. Jem, his Parabatai, stepped forward.

"So." He breathed out a shaky breath. "This is it."

Will nodded weakly. He felt bad for leaving his Parabatai behind when he still had to fulfill his lifelong duty to protect him. "But I'll see you again soon." He responded.

"Please be careful." Jem said. "And don't do anything stupid."

They both laughed uneasily as they gave each other a hug. They parted and gave one last handshake. Both of them looked at each other in the eye.

"You'll be in good hands now Jem." Will, looking at Tessa with narrow eyes. "You have a fiancée that will take good care of you."

He smiled as the next person stepped forward. Charlotte was trying to hold back her tears. Will smiled at her and gave her a hug as well.

"You were always like my son." She wept on his shoulder. "Don't you ever forget that."

"I won't" Will said as they withdrew. "Thank you for everything Charlotte." She nodded as she hesitantly stepped back and stood with Henry. Cecily came forward and gave Will a big hug.

"Write to me every day. You have promise me that." Cecily demanded as he felt her little sister's tears wet his sleeve. "Be careful and make sure that you don't make a fool out of yourself out there alright?"

_Is everyone afraid that I'll actually do something stupid? _He mused. Will ruffled her hair playfully and withdrew away from her. "Alright." He replied. "Take care of yourself dear Cecily."

Then after Cecily, It was Henry's turn, then Gideon, Jessamine (who tried so very hard not to cry and still tease him with the same old) Sophie, then Magnus. All of them said their respective goodbyes, said theirs to Pearl as well, and were ready to watch them leave. But there was only one person that didn't get to say her goodbyes. She stepped forward and stood a safe distance from her and tried to look him in the eye. She wrapped her white shawl around her and made the brave attempt to look at him in the eye.

_It's like losing him all over again. _She thought. Because of him, she couldn't sleep last night. She kept on tossing and turning on her bed. You could see the bags under her eyes. Tessa felt so scared of having him so far away, not to mention that she didn't think he would write to her like Cecily. She would be forgotten, just another person who influenced his life just a bit.

"H-hello, I mean, goodbye." Tessa stuttered.

"Goodbye to you too." He responded quietly, trying fight off the urge to look away.

She took a minute to catch her breath. "You be careful out there alright?"

He nodded. "You too. Take care of Jem for me."

"Definelty." She said meekly. It felt too awkward for them to make too much of a scene in front of everybody, even with hugging. They just awkwardly shook hands and turned the other way. Tessa took a huge step backwards and let Jem hold her tightly. Cyril and another butler came in and carried their stuff to the carriage. They said one last goodbye before jumping into the carriage and riding away to the train station. Sophie closed the door as everyone exited the foyer to go back to sleep, or do other things. Tessa and Jem went upstairs.

Jem offered to stay with her for the night, but she kindly refused. Tessa went to her room and locked the door behind her. Her bedroom was fixed and nothing was out of place. She collapsed onto her unmade bed, threw on her sheets and tried to sleep. But how could she? Will was gone. No more kisses, no more quotes that pertained to conversations, the library that they shared was now hers. But there would be no more awkward conversations between anymore. She should be thankful. She groaned in frustration and tugged on the white sheets. She wanted no more of this sadness. Tessa needed to forget about him. But as hard as tried, and like all the other times, she could not get him out of her mind. When she lost Aunt Harriet and Nathaniel, she cried but she got over it. She would get over Will in time. But when she was thinking it through, she thought of Will forgetting about her. Erasing all of those memories, those conversations that they had, it was what she was afraid of. Now she started to regret not telling him. _Don't forget about me! _

She kept on tossing and turning, thinking about him over and over until the sun began to rise. The sunlight crept up to the window, illuminating its way to the bed. Tessa grimaced and the bright light and put the sheet over her head. Tessa couldn't sleep, not like this. She got out of bed and called Sophie to help her dress. Once she was dressed in a creamy white morning dress, she decided to walk around the hallways to clear her mind. Then head to the library before breakfast. She paced down the hallways, moving a tad bit faster than usual.

"_Lost? You ought to let me show you around the institute a bit, Miss Gray, you know, so you don't get lost again." _

_Shut up. _Tessa growled at herself. She bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood on the tip of her tongue. When she came to the end of corridor, she spotted an open door at the end. She curiously walked forward and took a peek inside. The familiar stench of aged tea and newly opened books fled Tessa's nose. She clenched the door frame with the tips of her fingers. The last place she wanted to be was in Will's room.

It looked so odd. Usually his room was a mess, something that Sophie would kill him for. The bookshelves were empty, only for a few novels about Nephilim history. The desk was dusty, the bed was neatly made (for the first time), the floor was dirty and it just felt so hollow, empty and uninviting. Tessa never really went into Will's room, so it felt like an alien place to her. Tessa's curiosity peaked up as she went to look around, even if there wasn't anything to look at. On the desk was an ink bottle, a quill nib and sheets of blank paper untouched. The first shelf of the bookcase held volumes of Nephilim information. She skimmed her fingers on the binds of them books when she came across a familiar novel hidden deep between two fat albums.

She smiled faintly. It was their book. _The Tale of Two Cities._

She plucked the book out and weighed the novel in her hands. It was in perfect condition, no dog eared page marks, no ripped pages. It was like he had never read it. She nonchalantly opened to the front page when she realized there was writing on it. She recognized as Will's handwriting. She flipped the pages, and the writing extended to three pages.

_Tess, Tess, Tessa._

(the whole letter)

Then the there was another letter, only this time the ink looked fresher. It was dated, surprisingly, yesterday.

_If you find this Tessa, the day after I wrote it or perhaps years, months from now, you have moved on. Married to Jem, maybe adopted a child or by some miracle, had a child. A whole life that you created, all that you ever wished, you have. From that day I read your letters, I wished to be part of it. But now that I know you do not need me, I have decided that it was best for me to leave and look for something else to do with my life._

_You were part of my life, you changed me, you made me into a different person. There were days when I daydreamed the impossible, you and I together, blissfully in love and inseparable. I tempted your touch, you mouth, your attention. Every gown you modeled, every smile or kind gesture that you showed, it was all beautifully angelic and the more I envied Jem, and the more i pained each night. You were in my dreams every night. In short, I'm deeply in love with you. But, none of that matters. You have moved on with your life, and I have moved on with mine, hopefully._

_I have tried so hard to let go._

_And finally, Tess, I finally have._

_Sincerely,_

_William Herondale._

The last paragraph was smudged with her tears. She released the book as if it was on fire. Tessa gasped, she was hiccupping with tears streaming down her face. Will loved her all along, and couldn't find enough bravery to tell it to her face. He told her in carefully chosen words that she was in her dreams, she made her happy, that he deeply loved her. Tessa clutched the bed post for support. She felt something unlock itself inside of her and released what she truthfully felt. It was wonderful feeling, one she hadn't felt in a long time. It was light hearted feeling of pure love. There was no denying it anymore, she was in love with Will, and it was him all along.

But he was gone, perhaps boarding on the train, a million miles away from her. But somehow, it didn't make her sad at all. Instead she felt determination, longing to be in his arms, his company again. She wanted to feel his warm mouth press on hers, and kiss him again and again, she wanted to stay in his arms forever, she wanted to discuss every book she ever read. Will was everything she ever wanted a boy. She looked at the book again and then looked at the clock.

_I cannot just leave him thinking that he does not love me. _Tessa thought. _He has to know, I want him with me, I __**need **__him. _So she thought of the impossible. She wiped her eyes and turned around. Tessa froze in horror as she saw a familiar figure standing right at the door.

"What's wrong?" Jem asked as he took a step forward.

"N-nothing." She stammered. _You have to tell him, even though it will break his heart. _

He noticed the book lying on the floor and picked it up. "A book? What-" He saw the front page and started to read. Tessa froze as she watched his expression carefully. Then she anticipated guilt.

His eyes faltered. He closed the front cover carefully and looked at the floor. He said nothing. Tessa was freaking out, there was no use pretending anymore. In a minute or two, he slowly looked at Tessa and held her gaze. She swallowed a huge lump down her throat, even though another one formed in her throat.

"Do you…." He whispered. "Do you return his feelings?"

Tessa lowered her eyelids and nodded slowly.

"I knew it." He said.

Tessa widened her eyes. She wanted to ask him why, but no words came out.

"I could see the way that Will looks at you. When he found out that you were gone, I knew it. When you broke down in your room, crying over him…I didn't want to believe it." He gave out a meek laugh and gave Tessa the book. Tessa could only look at him in sadness.

"And now that I know you love him in return…" He gave an exasperated sigh and turned away from her. "Was this going on before the engagement?"

She took in a deep breath. "Yes, but I didn't want to hurt you, we couldn't tell you, I'm so sorry Jem-"

He ignored her apology. "Why didn't Will tell me? I thought you and Will hated each other, he was always making rude witty remarks about you…" She paused for a moment. She could tell Jem about Will's curse, but it seemed more natural for Will to tell Jem rather for her to tell him herself, perhaps in letter. Now both of them needed Will here.

"How could I be so _stupid?" _Jem cursed. He turned around and faced Tessa straight on. She stepped back, his silver eyes were glistening with unshed tears and his face was red. He combed his hair through his fingers. _I didn't want you to be sad if I told you. I wanted you to be happy, but with someone else. I can't give that to you. _"Why didn't you tell me?" Jem asked. He had the words: _Didn't you trust me? _Written all over his face.

"I-I didn't want to hurt you, I wanted to make you happy, I couldn't bear to say not to you when you were down on one knee-!" Tessa rambled, apologies started to fly out of her mouth. "I'm so sorry Jem, I'm just not the person that can make you happy. There is another girl out there perfect for you." She leaned over and cupped his cheek with her hand. "But it's not me."

He sniffed, took a hard look at her before peeling his gaze onto the clock. "Will is boarding the train in ten minutes." He looked at her again. "You better catch up with him."

She looked at him incredulously. "S-so you're just going to let me go…?"

"You love him don't you?" He asked again. "If so, then you better run. We'll talk about this later."

"Thank you so much Jem! I'll swear I'll explain everything." She rushed out the door and down the hallways. Her heart was beating so fast and the adrenaline in her veins and bones made her run even faster. She only had ten minutes to get to Will, and if she didn't get there on time, she would have to say goodbye to him forever. She had to convince him that she loved him in return, she had to convince him to stay or take her with her, because either way, she wasn't going to let him go without her. Tessa sped past Sophie and bolted out of the door. She was immediately showered by a trickle of rain produced by fog. It was really windy outside too.

The road to the train wasn't all that far, it only took five minutes to get there, but on foot it would take forever. Cyril had taken the carriage and she couldn't find a single servant that would give her a shotgun ride to the train station, but then she spotted a carriage with a single horse strapped on her far right. She grinned as she made a dash for it. It would take too much time to unlatch the harnesses to free the horses, so instead she took the driver's seat, grabbed the reins and startled the horses to run. Every single brain cell told her that she was crazy and she could be killed for her lack of experience, but heck, she was in love, nothing could stop her now. She yelled at the horses and made her way down and up the streets of London, trying not to kill people crossing the street and not bump into other carriages. The towns' folk called her crazy and waved their fist in the air. It was extremely hard maneuvering her way to the station with the thick fog. Once she was nearing the station, the fog cleared up a little bit for her to see. It was packed with people, bustling their way to the train with their luggage and tickets. She 'parked' the carriage and ran into the gate that was crowded with people.

It was tight with people, and it was very hard to move around. "Will!" She called. But her voice couldn't be heard, it was too loud. She called his name louder and louder. Tessa searched frantically for him and hoped that he didn't board the train. Her hope started to deteriorate.

Then, she saw a familiar man picking up something from the ground. Tessa sighed in relief as she ran forward and tapped Will's back. "Will! I'm so glad-"

The man turned around and Tessa's face fell. It was not Will. The man looked at her sympathetically as he ventured off into the train. The train gave out its whistle as the doors began to close. Tessa just stood there, wide eyed, looking at the closed train. Most of the people had boarded on the train and only a few lingered around. The train whistled again as it tracked forward. She couldn't believe it.

She was too late.

In disbelief, she stumbled back onto a bench. She could feel another surge of tears rack up inside of her. She put her hands on her head and tried not to cry. Tessa had never felt such like a failure. The train began to speed away, and it felt like it was taking a huge chunk out of Tessa as well. Tessa picked herself up, and dusted her gown. She sniffled and told herself that there was no use in crying. But when she looked up, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She honestly thought she was coming back home empty handed. Will was on the other side, and then he looked up and noticed her. Her hoping heart leaped as her feet automatically began to run towards him. Tessa leapt over the gap separating them, and now she was standing before him. She couldn't believe it. She was this close of losing him. The lighthearted happiness began to fuel her, filling her with desires, needs and wants. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her body never felt so fragile. Will just stood there, fazed, surprised and confused.

"What," He started slowly, looking at her with the upmost confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Tessa blurted softly. "I-I thought you boarded the train."

He bowed his head and looked at his shoes. "I was on the train, before I was so rudely shoved by a lady and stumbled back here." He looked at his pocket watch and sighed. "I'll have to board the next train then." But then he turned to look at her."But you didn't answer my question."

She took a deep breath in. "I forgot to tell you something. But first of all, I am sorry that I didn't really say goodbye to you. I think the way I said it was a bit rude as if you were just somebody that I didn't really know."

He blinked. "That's all?"

She took another breath. "No. I have come to tell the truth. All of it."

He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. Unable to think of a response. Tessa took another deep breath. It was really nerve wracking for her. She knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't find the right words to express them in. "Refer to t-that day in that room where you confessed everything to me, I mean, everything that you were hiding, that demon box that you opened when you were l-little-"

"The drawing room?" He interrupted, his eyes looking a bit wary, uncomfortable with the subject.

Tessa felt foolish. "Y-yes. When you told me everything, I felt caught off guard. I didn't know, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so mean to you, I didn't know, I mean, what I'm trying to say is that I am grateful that you cared enough for me to protect me. I'm thankful for your sacrifice. But when you locked us together in the d-drawing room, and k-k-k…" She forced herself to stop trembling and move forward. "_Kissed _me. Then you told me why you were being so rubbish and rude to me. You have to know that I felt your sincerity, your passion, and your honesty. You don't know how much I wanted to make you smile, to be happy and feel loved and I _failed_ to do that.

"I had never felt so sad and guilty in my life. I felt responsible for not noticing your sudden mood swings, I felt responsible for every single booze shot you forced down your throat. And honestly, I felt that I deserved the worst kind of punishment, and your ignorance was that. There were times that I cried all night thinking of you, there were times where I wanted to die. "

Will stared at her. Suddenly, an angry line formed on his mouth and turned his head. "How can I know that you're not lying, that you are doing this because of _your pity _towards me." He snapped. "I don't need anyone's pity Tessa." He said sharply.

"It was **not **pity." She fired back. "Will, I love you. I'm _in _love with you. Can't you see that!?" He didn't say anything, he refused to look at her.

"Do you want proof?" she challenged. "When we were in the drawing room, the day that Jem proposed to me. I heard your story, I heard every single passionate and heartfelt word you uttered. I saw the pain and sorrow in your eyes. I heard your heroic acts, your painful sacrifices, everything that you've lost. And then, when you were finished, I wanted nothing more to tell you how much loved you. I wanted to see you smile, I wanted happiness for you and that I would be the one to give all of them to you. I wanted to you to kiss me, I wanted your warmth, your quotes about books, that twinkle in your eyes that you rarely show. And don't get me started when you call me _Tess. _After you left the room, I _burned _myself Will."

She pulled up her sleeve and made him look at it. The ugly scar marked her delicate skin, a never forgotten memory stained onto her forever.

"But I could not give them to you without breaking Jem's heart. Days upon days after your confession, I could never really look at you in the eye. We would never be able to communicate like we did in the past. The library was a choker for me. Then, Pearl came along. When I saw you, for the first time ever since that incident, you _smiled_ and you _laughed_. I felt jealousy and hatred towards her. I knew that I should have been happy for you, but the idea of you and Pearl kissing in corners, it made me want to puke. In Lady Esther ball, you kissed me with such passion, such hungriness. I had never felt so light headed and happy. I wanted to stay with you forever.

"When we fought on the rooftop, I said that I hated you. I never meant that, but I was so afraid that you were beginning to hate me. You had a reason for it too. When I thought you were dead-" She swallowed. "I broke down and started crying. I tore my room apart. I felt so alone and scared. I thought you died without telling anyone your secret, I thought that when you died, that I was the last person you wanted to live for. I wanted to die, so I picked up a knife and attempted to stab myself. Pearl saw me, and yanked the knife out of my hands. I was so enraged that I yelled that she didn't love you like I did. When I found out that you were alive, you don't know how relieved I was.

"Yesterday, I found out that…" She bit her lip to stop her from shedding any tears. "I found out that you were leaving, _with Pearl. _Then I found your letter." Tessa looked up to find that Will was staring at her, his eyes were full, and the Adam's apple in his throat bobbed up and down. "I felt so _happy, _all the books I ever read about love, what it felt like…I felt hope and determination. And now I am here, standing in front of you.

"William Owen Herondale." She said in an exasperated laugh, her eyes brimming with fat tears. "When we first met back at the Dark Sister's house, that you were every single heroic, fictional character conjured up in my head. Your personality is like no one else's, and your intentions are sincere and heroic, like all heroes should be. Your heart is in the right place. I have come to the stage of love where I know what's best for you." She took a step forward. "Now I am asking, if there is even a fraction of you that still cares for me at all?"

Tessa searched his eyes, trying to decode whatever he was feeling. She was shaking, but not from the cold, but the immense silence between them. He uttered not a single word and she could not hear him breath at all. He swallowed as he looked away sharply from her. Her heart fell as she shed another tear. Even though she was too late and said what she needed to say, nothing could save what they have.

"I see." Tessa trembled. "I understand."

She took a hesitant step forward, and did something that surprised her. She leaned her head towards his, closed her eyes, and gave a quick brief kiss on his lips. "fare-"

She was interrupted when he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her tightly against him, and shut her up with a sudden kiss. It was gentle, but at the same time urgent. She immediately responded in excitement by wrapped her arms around his neck, entangling his fingers in his perfect, tousled black hair and kissing him back with the same passion. The longing for him grew deeper as they continued to kiss and kiss. His mouth was soft on hers as they moved in a synchronized pace. Her heart was beating so fast and she could feel his on hers as well. She was sighing and moaning in the kiss. Wet tears spilled down her cheeks and onto her neck, but she didn't care to wipe them off. Will was right here, with her, filling her desires and needs. The kiss stopped eventually as they parted a bit for air. Their foreheads touched as they panted. She smiled as Will came down and nuzzled her throat as he kissed her collarbone tenderly. She sighed in satisfaction and nuzzled his throat with her nose in return.

"I love you too." He whispered. "I've always loved you, but how can we be together if you are engaged to Jem?"

"He knew. He read the letter." She murmured. "I felt so guilty for just leaving him without a firm explanation. I broke his heart, Will, he will never forgive me. "

"Somehow we will find a way to explain everything to him. I will write him a letter as soon as I get to Pearl's institute." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and nuzzled her nose.

"But what if-"

"Train coming in five minutes!" Someone shouted.

They broke apart as Will looked at the clock, the guard standing by, holding Tessa close to him. He looked at her with his gleaming, sapphire blue eyes. His lips swollen from kissing. He leaned his forehead onto hers again. "Tess, you know that I love you, and now I know that you return my feelings as well. But, I still have to check up on my family. It was the first thing I promised myself when I would leave the institute." Tessa nodded in understanding, she was a bit dizzy and unfocused when they parted and she couldn't even think straight.

He held her tighter in his arms, his eyes shining in determination. Tessa saw his lips form into a beautiful smile, she traced them softly with her index finger. " But I **swear **to you Tess, that I will come back for you. After we explain everything to Jem…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "We will find a place to stay, hell, I'll even stay with you in the institute until you are eighteen."

Tessa breathed out in a shaky breath. She couldn't believe it, he was going to come back for her, he was this determined to be inseparable after his business with his family. Her heart pounded as she took his hands off her waist and held them tightly.

"One minute!"

The train's whistle erupted in the air in sharp, unmelodic sound. The train noisily drove onto the tracks as it came to an abrupt stop. A puff of black smoke billowed in the air. Will peeled his eyes off the train and looked at Tessa again.

"_I promise." _He captured her lips one more time, and this time it was full of promise. He hesitantly let her slip away from him as he got onto the train, looked at her one last time before disappearing. The train hooted again before picking up speed. Will sat on a booth, to the window seat to see if he could catch one more glimpse of Tessa before he could leave. It would be a long wait before they would see each other again, but now that they confirmed their love for each other, he could leave home without any regrets.

_Come back when you can. _Tessa whispered as she watched the boy she loved ride the train until it disappeared from her sight.

_Come back when you can. _

**This was originally the ending for my story but I felt guilty if I didn't tell anyone about what happened to our beloved characters, so there will be a prologue. But don't expect that until tomorrow. :) this chapter was named and inspired by the first song that I ever heard that related to Tessa and Will. (Good to you by Marianas Trench) **

**-KKKQ **


	33. Mizpah (Epilogue)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES **

Tessa waited impatiently for the train to come around the corner. She twiddled her thumbs, played with her hair and smoothened her dress to calm her down. Any minute now, the train would come along and drop off Will. She closed her eyes and exhaled. It had been four months since he left her. She smiled as she remembered the day when she confessed to Will about her true feelings, and he returned it warmly. Explaining everything to Jem was hard, as promised, Will wrote the letter and Tessa tried to fill any gaps as possible. She apologized to him every day, feeling sorry that she broke his heart. Jem succumbed to the reality of it and opened up, they were friends now.

She wondered if Will would actually show up, not that she doubted him of course, it was written all over his last letter. The wind picked up as she caught the sight of a moving train coming around. It gradually slowed down as its doors opened, out came dozens and dozens of people, greeting their friends or relatives with warm smiles and hugs. She glanced over and ran her eyes over the crowd, trying to find Will. Then, she spotted him.

"Will!"

When he stepped out of the train with his luggage, Tessa picked up her skirts and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as Will caught her in surprise and fell down. They both laughed.

"Nice to see you too." Will chuckled, still on the ground with Tessa ontop of him.

From that day on, Will stayed with Tessa in the institute, got her training finished before she could head out with Will when she reached the age of eighteen. They decided to go to Will's homeland, Wales and go on from there. They haven't settled in a house yet, they even didn't stay in one place! They kept on traveling and traveling. The folks back at the institute kept track of them through letters, still waiting for the day when they would receive a wedding invitation.

.o0o.

"You don't suppose it's going to rain again, do you Jem?" Cecily asked, looking at the gray sky. Her light blue dress was drenched with the last rainfall and hour ago, and her jet black hair was mindlessly tossed to the side to prevent her back corset from wetting. She thought of the parasol that she left at the institute and cursed herself for leaving it behind. Cecily was at the park with Jem, looking over River Thames, where ducks swam about.

"It's London, it always rains." He responded. "But I swear, if it does. We are going straight home. I don't want you catching a cold."

Cecily turned her attention away from the view and smiled at Jem. She rested her hand on his. "I didn't say that I wanted to go back to the institute. Where's the fun in that?" Ironically, she sneezed after that last statement.

"That's it, we are going back to the institute." Before he could lead Cecily away, she quickly kissed him on the cheek. Jem stopped and blinked, blushing bashfully as he turned away.

"Nice try." He smiled as he continued to lead a scowling Cecily to the institute.

Eventually, Jem began to recover from his heartbreak. Cecily came in and made him feel better. Tessa's clockwork angel cured him and it inspired him to try to find cures for other demonic poisons. His hair color turned back to normal, but for some reason his silver eyes stayed the same. In time, he fell in love with Cecily, and so did Cecily.

.o0o.

Sophie packed her clothes carefully into her luggage. She had never felt so guilty about leaving the institute. It was her home, a place where she cried her heart out, where she shared moments of happiness, where she felt loved and accepted. She sighed as she placed her last white linen cloth dress in her luggage before closing it up. She touched her bulging belly, a slight kick from the unborn baby had her feeling a bit dizzy.

"You should not be packing dear Sophie." Her husband said as he came forward, closed the bag for her as he tucked a stand of loose hair behind her ear. "Did I not tell you this before?"

"Nonsense." Sophie dismissed. "I finished packing by myself, see?"

Gideon broke out of his serious face and smiled. He kissed her forehead as he took her hand. "Let's just go."

Sophie and Gideon went to live together on the outskirts of London. Sophie finally agreed to drink from the mortal cup so she could be with Gideon. She apologized over and over to Charlotte and Henry about her sudden leave to Spain with her husband for his demon hunting mission. She had her baby two months after they were married, and they were eager to start a new life and a family together.

.o0o.

"why is the cwopper thing tiny? What does dwis thing do?"

"That's called a screw." Henry told his three year old son. "It holds things together."

"So it's like glwue?" The little boy said in amazement, his giant eyes sparkling. "Wow!"

Charlotte contently smiled at the two boys. Henry was teaching his son about gears and other parts, and their son seemed pretty interested. When they had their baby, they settled for Buford to be the middle name to satisfy her persistent husband. The institute seemed remotely empty since Will and Tessa were gone. They had new untrained shadowhunters taking refuge here, it would be an entire new family.

Everyone; Will, Tessa, Jem, Cecily, Sophie, Gideon, Gabriel, Charlotte and Henry were all waiting for the day when they would reunite once again, and tell each other the fascinating stories that they experienced in their lives that will draw them even closer as a family together.

**Woooooooooo! Finished! I hope that this epilogue wasn't too corny. I hope that you enjoyed my version of Clockwork Princess :) Thank you to those who have read my story, those who had reviewed, favorited, story alerted, followed my story! You guys are awesome and you always give me inspiration to write! Hopefully this isn't the last of my Infernal Devices fanfics.**

**Thank you and Mizpah**

**-kokokirakenaquila **


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